new potential cure for skin cancer, page-2

Immunotherapy (including vaccines) has always represented a very attractive therapy for cancer. This is a growing area of interest.

However, these have there limitation. To be valuable, an immune response must be mounted to a particular antigen (tumour associated antigens) present only on the cancer cell and not the bodys normal cells. These antigens are difficult to find and in many cases difficult to raise an immune response towards. Every cancer type tends to have their own specific tumour associated antigens.

In relation to skin cancer, you will never be able to cover every malignancy with one vaccine. Just look at the data of the study you posted A study of 50 patients with advanced melanoma who had been given no more than nine months to live found that 16 per cent of them recovered completely with the vaccine. Excellent result, but certainly not a cure. But this is the Telegraph.

A prophylactic treatment (preventative treatment) by using the bodys own photoprotection defence i.e. melanin, has broader applications.