Key Points
- Patients with melanoma may be interested in participating in a new cancer immunotherapy clinical trial at UVA Health.
- Lynn Dengel, MD, will enroll an estimated 11 participants with advanced melanoma to receive focused ultrasound before undergoing standard of care surgery.
The first participant has been treated in a new clinical trial at the University of Virginia testing the safety and efficacy of using focused ultrasound plus immunotherapy in patients with advanced melanoma.
Melanoma is the most invasive type of skin cancer and accounts for the majority of skin cancer deaths. More than 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma each year.
The trial (NCT06472661) is being led by Lynn Dengel, MD, a surgical oncologist at UVA Health. She will enroll approximately 11 participants with advanced melanoma who are receiving a cancer immunotherapy drug (PD-1 antibody blockade) as part of their regular care and having the melanoma surgically removed.
Before surgery, researchers will administer focused ultrasound with Theraclion’s ultrasound-guided EchoPulse device to heat and destroy the tumor tissue. They will then give a one-time injection of an experimental immunotherapy drug polyICLC, or Hiltinol, to activate the immune system.
The participants will undergo surgery as part of their regular care to remove the tumor(s) approximately three weeks after the focused ultrasound treatment. After surgical removal of the melanoma, the team will evaluate the size of the ablated zone and changes in the immune reaction in both treated and untreated regions of tumor tissue.
“We are hopeful that the changes in the immune environment induced by focused ultrasound and the immune-boosting injection into the tumor may bolster the systemic immune response, resulting not only in an effect at the tumor but also stronger long-term protection,” said Dr. Dengel.
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation is funding this study.
For Patients
If you are interested in learning more about this trial, please visit the clinical trial website or contact Olena Glushakova at (434) 297-8474 or oyg2n@uvahealth.org.