Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: In what could be seen as a breakthrough in treating skin cancer, researchers have found out that skin cancer can be treated with a genetically-engineered version of a virus that normally causes cold sores, reports suggest.
According to BBC, the modified herpes virus when injected into tumours replicates and releases substances to help fight the cancer and is harmless to normal cells. The new treatment is called T-Vec.
Though it is not yet licensed, similar treatments for melanoma are already available in the US and Europe. However, researchers believe that the new therapy would be an addition to the existing ones.
This therapy would also be the first melanoma treatment that uses a virus for treating skin cancer.
Journal of Clinical Oncology published the trial results. It explains how the therapy is helpful in increasing the survival chances for some melanoma patients.
