ASCI as a potential new treatment in melanoma

MAGE-A3 as a target in melanoma

Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. The incidence of melanoma is linked to skin color and the degree of exposure to sunlight, so it varies from country to country. If melanoma is found and treated early it can almost always be cured. If not treated early it can spread to other parts of the body, and becomes more difficult to treat successfully.

About 65% of patients with melanoma have a cancer-specific antigen called MAGE-A3 in their cancer. The MAGE-A3 antigen is found only in cancer cells, not normal cells, which makes it a good target for ASCI.

MAGE-A3 ASCI is still in clinical development, and not yet approved for use outside a clinical trial. Early studies have shown that it has potential in the treatment of melanoma. This has led to the setting up of a large-scale, Phase III study called DERMA (aDjuvant immunothERapy with MAGE-A3 in melanomA).

The DERMA clinical study

DERMA is an international clinical study involving approximately 1,300 patients with melanoma. Its purpose is to assess how well the MAGE-A3 ASCI works in preventing cancer from coming back after melanoma is removed by surgery. Two patients out of 3 will receive the MAGE-A3 ASCI, and 1 patient out of 3 will receive a placebo control (a substance that has no treatment value).