Immunotherapy Drug Shows Promise in Preventing Spread of Rare Skin Cancer
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An immune-based cancer therapy may help prevent the spread of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare but aggressive skin cancer, when given after surgery, ScienceDaily reported. Findings from the phase 3 STAMP trial (EA6174), conducted by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, showed that patients treated with pembrolizumab had a lower risk of developing distant metastases \u2014 cancer spreading to organs such as the liver, lungs, or bones \u2014 compared with those who received no additional therapy.<\/p>\n
After two years, 73% of patients who received pembrolizumab remained cancer-free, versus 66% in the control group. Although the difference in overall recurrence was not statistically significant, pembrolizumab reduced the risk of distant cancer spread by 42%. Lead investigator Dr. Janice M. Mehnert of NYU Langone Health said the study provides the first evidence that postoperative immunotherapy can help reduce disease progression in Merkel cell carcinoma.<\/p>\n
The trial enrolled 293 patients across more than 500 hospitals through the U.S. National Cancer Institute\u2019s network. Pembrolizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor already approved for advanced Merkel cell carcinoma, works by activating the immune system to attack cancer cells. Researchers continue to monitor long-term survival outcomes, with full results to be presented at the 2025 ESMO Congress in Berlin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Immunotherapy Drug Shows Promise in Preventing Spread of Rare Skin Cancer ………….. An immune-based cancer therapy may help prevent the spread of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare but aggressive skin cancer, when given after surgery, ScienceDaily reported. Findings from the phase 3 STAMP trial (EA6174), conducted by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, showed that patients …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":135814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[8955],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medical-news"],"yoast_head":"\n