An intralesional approach with oncolytic viral and immunologic melanoma therapy

Melanoma is a complex cancer to treat due to its late identification and quick metastasis. Traditional treatments like surgery and resection prove to be futile once melanoma spreads past the sentinel lymph node. Newer modalities like viral and immunotherapy should be considered for stage III and IV patients. Immunotherapy works to boost the immune system’s T-cell counts while viral therapy stimulates a specific immune reaction to eliminate melanoma cells. Viral therapy also has the advantage of being delivered locally by intralesional injection and avoids systemic side effects. Combination viral and immunotherapy show compelling response rates among stage III and stage IV melanoma patients. National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines for cutaneous melanoma also recommend a combination of viral and immunotherapy in patients with advanced or unresectable melanoma. Due to the immune modulating nature, viral and immunotherapy also have the potential to provide a level of immune protection against future melanoma recurrence which protects vulnerable stage III and IV patients. This protective effect could offer a significant advantage in melanoma treatment, making it a potential candidate for first-line therapy and contributing to the prevention of future recurrence.