What is desmoplastic melanoma?

Desmoplastic melanoma is a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer that accounts for about 4% of all melanomas and can be challenging to treat surgically.

How effective is pembrolizumab for desmoplastic melanoma?

In a recent clinical trial, pembrolizumab led to no detectable cancer in 71% of patients before surgery and demonstrated excellent three-year survival rates.

What are the benefits of using pembrolizumab before surgery for melanoma?

Using pembrolizumab before surgery leads to high rates of tumor clearance, reduces the need for invasive procedures, and improves long-term survival and quality of life.

Home / Health / New Hope for Aggressive Melanoma

New Hope for Aggressive Melanoma

30 Jan

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Summary

Immunotherapy drug shrinks aggressive melanoma tumors significantly.
71% of patients showed no detectable cancer before surgery.
Treatment offers improved survival and quality of life.

A novel approach using an established immunotherapy drug, pembrolizumab, has shown remarkable success in treating desmoplastic melanoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer. A recent clinical trial found that pembrolizumab can significantly shrink, and even eliminate, tumors associated with this challenging condition.

During the study, 71% of patients undergoing treatment with pembrolizumab experienced no detectable cancer by the time their tumors were surgically removed. This pre-surgical immunotherapy regimen is reported to be both powerful and safe, reducing the necessity for invasive surgical procedures.

Researchers noted that desmoplastic melanoma, which accounts for about 4% of all melanomas, can be difficult to remove surgically due to its tendency to grow deep into tissues. The success of pembrolizumab in this trial, with 95% of patients alive and 74% remaining cancer-free at three years, marks a significant shift in treatment strategies.

Disclaimer: This story has been auto-aggregated and auto-summarised by a computer program. This story has not been edited or created by the Feedzop team.