Nobel Prize Winning Cancer Researcher on Immunotherapy's Promising Impact on Future Treatments
- Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, 82, who was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma—an aggressive form of skin cancer, says he has “no tumors” after undergoing an experimental immunotherapy treatment.
- “Immunotherapy is rather unique in that for the first time, we’re getting truly curative therapies in many kinds of disease,” immunotherapy research pioneer Dr. James (Jim) Allison at MD Anderson Cancer Center, explained to SurvivorNet. He was also awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his cancer research.
- Melanoma begins in melanocytes, the cells responsible for producing pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes. When these cells mutate, they can spread to other parts of the body.
- Jones told the Dallas Morning News that he received an experimental treatment in a clinical trial for PD-1 therapy, a form of immunotherapy. Jones did not name the specific cancer drug.
- Checkpoint inhibitors, like pembrolizumab, help the immune system do its job by removing the “invisibility cloak” that cancer cells use to hide. Normally, a protein called PD-1 acts like a brake on T cells, keeping them from attacking healthy cells. But cancer takes advantage of that brake to avoid being targeted. Pembrolizumab blocks PD-1, releasing the brake and letting T cells go after cancer cells more aggressively.
- Clinical trials help doctors better understand cancer and discover more effective treatment methods. They also give patients a chance to try a treatment before it’s approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which can potentially be life-changing. For help finding a clinical trial that’s right for you, try our easy-to-use Clinical Trial Finder.
“I went into trials for that PD-1, and it has been one of the great medicines. I now have no tumors,” Jones said,” Jones told The Dallas Morning News.
“I think that the most powerful combinations coming up are based on combining immune blockers or enhancers, but also drugs that can directly kill tumor cells to really have a double whammy,” Dr. Allison added.
WATCH: The Outlook for Immunotherapy Treatment
Clinical trials like the one Jones participated in are vital for advancing cancer research and offering patients battling advanced disease access to promising treatments before they receive FDA approval. While these trials can be life-changing, they also carry risks, including unknown side effects. Patients must consult with their doctors to determine if they’re eligible and prepared for the journey.
“I got to be a part of a trial that was propitious. It really worked. It’s called PD-1, and it really, really, really worked,” Jones emphasized.
RELATED: New Combination Immunotherapy for Advanced Melanoma Offers More Options For Patients
Expert Resources on Clinical Trials
Immunotherapy Advances Offer New Hope in Melanoma Treatment
Melanoma treatment, like all cancer care, is highly individualized—shaped by tumor stage, location, and patient-specific factors. Yet across the spectrum, a multi-pronged approach is common, often combining surgery, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and radiation.
Among these, immunotherapy has emerged as a transformative force in oncology. Rather than attacking cancer cells directly, it empowers the body’s own immune system to do the work. One standout example is pembrolizumab—commercially known as Keytruda—a checkpoint inhibitor that’s reshaping outcomes for patients with advanced melanoma.
WATCH: Applying Immunotherapy In Melanoma Treatment
Checkpoint inhibitors, like pembrolizumab, help the immune system do its job by removing the “invisibility cloak” that cancer cells use to hide. Normally, a protein called PD-1 acts like a brake on T cells, keeping them from attacking healthy cells. But cancer takes advantage of that brake to avoid being targeted. Pembrolizumab blocks PD-1, releasing the brake and letting T cells go after cancer cells more aggressively—just like they’re meant to.
“We have known for a while now that immunotherapy is a very important weapon in the fight against melanoma,” Dr. Janice Mehnert, associate director of clinical research at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, explains to SurvivorNet.
“This study sought to investigate whether giving the anti-PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab to melanoma patients with bulky stage IIIB through stage IV disease may be superior to the standard of care approach, which is surgery followed by immunotherapy.”
The implications are significant. Instead of waiting until after surgery to deploy immunotherapy, researchers are exploring whether earlier intervention with pembrolizumab could improve outcomes for patients with more aggressive disease.
Used across multiple cancer types, immunotherapy has already revolutionized treatment paradigms. In melanoma, it’s not just a promising option—it’s a game-changer.
RELATED: Melanoma Relapse Treatment: Advances on the Horizon
Immunotherapy Side Effects During Treatment for Melanoma
A new study published in JAMA Oncology is shedding light on the long-term side effects of immunotherapy in melanoma patients—revealing that chronic complications may be more widespread than previously thought.
“Chronic and long-lasting side effects were more common than we expected and involved a variety of often overlooked organs like the thyroid, salivary glands, and joints,” said Dr. Douglas Johnson, senior author of the study and associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
WATCH: Tell Your Doctor About Immunotherapy Side Effects
Despite the findings, Dr. Johnson emphasized the groundbreaking nature of immunotherapy, especially anti-PD-1 drugs. “It has been an absolute game-changer for patients with melanoma,” he noted. “I think the first thing to recognize is how really transformative the Anti-PD-1 drugs have been… patients can have very long-term responses to treatment.”
Still, for patients with advanced melanoma—especially those who’ve undergone surgical removal and have a low risk of recurrence—Dr. Johnson advised more nuanced conversations around treatment. “So determining whether the risks of the side effects, weighing the benefits of treatment with the risks of the side effects, can be an important consideration,” he said. “What our study did was we basically saw that some of these side effects were more common, really, than had been previously reported.”
Reported side effects can range from mild to severe, including dry throat, inflammation of the eye blood vessels, numbness, or tingling. And for many, the decision comes down to weighing symptom severity with potential longevity benefits.
WATCH: Managing Immunotherapy side effects.
Dr. Anna Pavlick, another expert in melanoma care, added context around immunotherapy management. “Depending upon the severity, it depends upon how we manage it,” she said.
“The percentage of patients who have very serious side effects from immunotherapy is contingent upon whether patients will get one medicine or a combination of two medicines.”
She explained that patients receiving a single immunotherapy drug face a 10–15% chance of experiencing severe reactions like rash or diarrhea. But for patients with metastatic melanoma, a dual-drug regimen—though more effective at controlling the cancer—comes with about a 50% chance of developing side effects
FDA-Approved Immunotherapy for Melanoma
There are several FDA-approved immunotherapies for melanoma. Each is approved for certain instances of melanoma.
- Tebentafusp-tebn (Kimmtrak)
- Aldesleukin (Proleukin)
- Atezolizumab (Tecentriq)
- Dostarlimab (Jemperli)
- Interferon alfa-2b (Intron A)
- Ipilimumab (Yervoy)
- Nivolumab (Opdivo)
- Peginterferon alfa-2b (Sylatron/PEG-Intron)
- Pembrolizumab (Keytruda)
- Talimogene laherparepvec (Imlygic)
- Imiquimod (Aldara)
The goal is to steadily reduce the risk of recurrence in all patients. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. Some people may not be candidates for this therapy, and side effects vary from person to person.
Understanding Melanomas
Melanoma starts in the same cells that give your skin, hair, and eyes their color. In melanoma, the cells change in a way that allows them to spread to other organs.
Changes to a mole you’ve had for a while or a new growth on your skin could be signs of melanoma, according to SurvivorNet’s experts. You’ll want to watch them and tell your doctor about any changes you notice.
WATCH: How do you perform a skin check using the ABCDEs?
SurvivorNet experts recommend avoiding unprotected sun exposure because ultraviolet (UV) radiation can lead to melanoma. Tanning beds pose ultraviolet radiation risks for skin cancer and should be avoided. Many dermatologists recommend using spray tans to reduce the risk of melanoma skin cancer.
The most important thing to look out for when it comes to finding melanoma is a new spot on your skin or a spot that is changing in size, shape, or color, SurvivorNet’s medical experts say.
Treatment options for melanoma include targeted therapy and immunotherapy, which give people a better chance of living a long and healthy life than ever before. If you’re diagnosed with melanoma, there’s a good chance surgery will be the treatment your doctor recommends.
Cancer removal usually leads to a cure in the early stages of the disease. After surgery, the removed tissue and lymph nodes are examined to measure the melanoma and determine if it has clear margins. Clear margins mean the cells around the area of tissue that was removed don’t contain any melanoma. When no cancer cells are left around the removed area, your cancer is less likely to return.
WATCH: Beating Aggressive Melanoma: An Immunotherapy Success Story
For melanoma patients who need additional treatment after surgery, they are likely to receive adjuvant therapy (treatments administered after surgery). Adjuvant therapy is designed to improve outcomes and decrease the risk of recurrence.
What to Consider When Clinical Trials Are an Option?
Within the U.S., all new drugs must go through clinical trials before the FDA approves them. Although the rewards of clinical trials can be great, they also come with risks. Talking to your doctor about this before enrolling in a trial is important. Some risks to consider include:
- The risk of harm and/or side effects due to experimental treatments
- Researchers may be unaware of some potential side effects of experimental treatments
- The treatment may not work for you, even if it has worked for others
Dr. Beth Karlan is a gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Health. She says the goal with clinical trials is to advance cancer research to a point where the disease becomes akin to diabetes, where it becomes a manageable condition.
“Clinical trials hopefully can benefit you, but is also providing very, very vital information to the whole scientific community about the effectiveness of these treatments,” Dr. Karlan said.
“They can be life-saving. We’ve seen many in the last few years of children and adults who have participated in trials and have had miraculous results,” Dr. Karlan continued.
WATCH: Clinical trials can be life-saving.
Before you enroll in a trial, you must be allowed to read the consent documents thoroughly and to ask any questions you may have. The documents will likely contain the following:
- The purpose of the research
- Any risks and benefits expected from the research
- Information about procedures that may cause discomfort (like frequent blood tests)
- Any alternative procedures the patient might consider instead
- How the patient’s information will be kept private
- How long the study is expected to take
- A form confirming you are participating in research voluntarily
- Whether any compensation or additional medical care is available if some sort of injury occurs
- The patient’s rights (like the right to stop research in the middle of the trial)
- Contacts for any patient questions
Patients are allowed to walk away at any time during the trial. Understanding your rights as a voluntary patient is important before you participate in a clinical trial, and understanding that the treatment may not work is also crucial.
Do Clinical Trials Cost Participants Anything?
Clinical trials may also have no extra cost for the participants, as the study’s sponsor may pay for the treatment and any additional care. Some sponsors even pay for travel to and from appointments or treatment centers. Patients should ask what will be paid for before signing up to be part of a trial.
The Affordable Care Act also mandates that health insurance companies cover routine patient care costs while people are enrolled in clinical trials.
The ‘Placebo’
During the treatment of an experimental drug in a clinical trial, while some participants receive the real thing, others do not. These participants receive a placebo.
The placebo is “an inactive substance or other intervention that looks the same as and is given the same way as an active drug or treatment being tested. The effects of the active drug or other intervention are compared to the effects of the placebo,” as defined by the National Cancer Institute.
In some cancer clinical trials that are “randomized,” patients who enroll are randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or the new experimental drug being studied. If the clinical trial is “double-blinded,” that means that neither the patients nor the doctors running the clinical trials know who’s in which group. This is an important part of a clinical trial design because it safeguards against bias and the possibility of skewed results.
It’s important to know that getting zero treatment isn’t usually the reality of the “placebo arm” anyway.
Instead, when patients with life-threatening cancers enroll in randomized clinical trials, the two groups are often broken into the new, experimental drug and a “control” group that receives the “standard-of-care” treatment.
Treatments considered standard of care are those that experts accept as the go-to treatment for specific cancers. Standard-of-care, in other words, is the most used treatment.
In many cases, it might involve a combination of chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation, but not always.
How to Find a Clinical Trial
If you want to participate in a clinical trial, your first step should be to talk with your doctor. They can address many of your initial questions and help you determine if you would make for a good participant.
Another crucial part of clinical trials is finding the right one for you. SurvirorNet has a resource to help with this called the Clinical Trial Finder.
The portal provides resourceful information to more than 103,000 active clinical trials. You can research this tool for yourself or someone else based on a few simple questions about your condition and location.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you are diagnosed with skin cancer, you may have some questions for your doctor. SurvivorNet suggests the following to help you on your cancer journey.
- What type of skin cancer do I have?
- What treatment options exist for my type of melanoma?
- Will insurance cover this treatment?
- Would treatment through a clinical trial make sense for me?
- What resources exist to help manage my anxiety because of this diagnosis?
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
ANSWER QUESTIONS
