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Immunotherapy uses the power of your immune system to fight your cancer. One type of immunotherapy is called an immune checkpoint inhibitor.
Your immune system has built-in checkpoints that keep it from going overboard when it attacks invaders like bacteria or tumors. Cancer cells can trick these checkpoints by sending false signals. This disguises tumors so they appear harmless. As a result, immune cells called T cells don’t attack the tumors. Immune checkpoint inhibitors block cancer’s false signals. This frees up your immune system to attack.
Melanoma Care Tailored to You
You and your family are our top priority. At Fred Hutch Cancer Center, we offer comprehensive and compassionate care — personalized to you. You'll have access to the latest treatment options, clinical trials and supportive care services.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors used to treat melanoma include:
- Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and nivolumab (Opdivo): These melanoma immunotherapies block the protein PD-1, taking the brakes off your T cells and allowing your immune cells to attack your cancer.
- Ipilimumab (Yervoy): This melanoma immunotherapy targets a different protein, CTLA-4. It is sometimes used in combination with pembrolizumab or nivolumab.
Other Melanoma Immunotherapy Options
Other types of immunotherapy for melanoma that your provider may recommend include:
- Lifileucel (Amtagvi): The first and only FDA-approved one-time T-cell therapy treatment for patients with melanoma that has spread and cannot be removed by surgery. Learn more about cellular immunotherapy.
- T-VEC therapy: This is a genetically engineered virus that is injected into melanoma tumors. The virus kills the melanoma cells and triggers an immune response that helps attack cancer cells. T-VEC is also known as talimogene laherparepvec (IMLYGIC).
- Imiquimod (Aldara): This melanoma immunotherapy is a cream you rub on your skin.
“I believe that enhancing your own immune system’s natural ability to recognize and attack cancer cells is perhaps the most promising new form of treatment, and many clinical trials are available for you to explore,” said Sylvia Lee, MD, a Fred Hutch medical oncologist who treats patients with melanoma.
Watch Dr. Lee's presentation as she speaks about tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) therapy in melanoma at the 2024 Northwest Melanoma Symposium.
Why Choose Fred Hutch for Immunotherapy for Colon Cancer
Fred Hutch medical oncologists are leaders in medicine-based treatments for melanoma, including immunotherapies. In fact, research by our experts contributed to the development of the immune checkpoint inhibitors, pembrolizumab and nivolumab, and their approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. We keep working to improve melanoma care and often have clinical trials testing new drugs or new drug combinations. When you come to Fred Hutch, you may have access to immunotherapies that aren’t offered everywhere.
Your medical oncologist, surgical oncologist and pathologist partner to design a personalized treatment plan for you. Our goal is to target your melanoma and have the least impact on healthy tissue. Your medical oncologist also works closely with you to manage any immunotherapy side effects. Your whole team helps you take the best possible care of yourself.
Common side effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors include:
- Fatigue
- Cough
- Loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea or constipation
- Skin rash or itching
- Joint pain
- Change in hormone levels
If your Fred Hutch care team recommends immunotherapy for melanoma, we’ll explain what to expect based on the medicine you’re getting and how to manage these side effects.
Your care team at Fred Hutch is here to help you prevent or prepare for side effects and to relieve any side effects you have. The most important step you can take is to let your team know what you’re feeling. We’ve helped many patients and families through this process and know ways to ease your experience.
Often, there are medicines to help, like anti-nausea drugs. Based on the side effect, there may be a range of other helpful options too, like diet changes, physical therapy and emotional and practical support. We also offer integrative medicine, including acupuncture. Fred Hutch researchers continue to look for the best ways to keep side effects at bay.
John Thompson, MD, a Fred Hutch medical oncologist who retired in 2024, was an immunotherapy champion and co-led the Fred Hutch melanoma clinic for decades.
"I was fortunate to persist long enough in the field to go through what we call the checkpoint revolution,” he said, referring to the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors. "It’s phenomenal what has happened in the course of my lifetime in terms of our understanding of the basic biology of cancer but more specifically the role of the immune system and how that can be harnessed to treat patients.”
Fred Hutch researchers are always looking for better ways to treat melanoma including doing immunotherapy clinical trials.