IMMUNOTHERAPY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST MELANOMA: CHALLENGES AND DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES- A LITERATURE REVIEW
Abstract
Melanoma is a highly malignant skin cancer with a high propensity to metastasize and a very poor prognosis. Melanoma is considered a multifactorial disease resulting from the interaction between genetic susceptibility and environmental exposure. The rate of increase in incidence worldwide is much higher than any other cancer and comparable to an epidemic. Prompt diagnosis, detection and treatment are crucial in melanoma diagnosis. Traditional treatment methods, such as surgical removal of the tumor, sentinel node biopsy and chemotherapy, often show limited efficacy. Chemotherapy offers little benefit in prolonging survival, and in 15-20% of patients leads to recurrence and relapse. Advances in knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of melanoma development and the discovery of the role of immune molecules such as PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4 have made modern immune therapies possible. The 2018 Nobel Prize recognized the discovery of these mechanisms, resulting in new drugs such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ipilimumab, pembrolizumab, nivolumab). Modern immunotherapy in recent years has become the fourth (next to surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy) pillar of systemic treatment of melanoma. The purpose of this review is to summarize the available immune therapies for the treatment of melanoma.
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