Immunotherapy is cancer treatment that directly kills cancer cells and stimulates the body's immune system to fight cancer, such as melanoma.
Imlygic (talimogene laherparepvec, or T-VEC) is a local immunotherapy treatment that kills melanoma cells in the skin and lymph nodes.
T-VEC is an oncolytic virus therapy, a treatment that uses a virus to infect and kill cancer cells while avoiding normal, healthy cells. T-VEC is made from a genetically modified herpes virus, commonly known as the cold sore virus. The therapy is designed to replicate inside melanoma cells to kill those cells. It may also enhance the immune system's ability to fight cancer.
Your physician injects T-VEC directly into melanoma tumors. The virus then replicates within the cells, causing them to rupture and die. T-VEC is a local treatment, which means that it is applied directly to melanoma lesions to treat those cells.
The exact way that T-VEC works in the immune system is not fully known. Cancer experts believe that, in addition to directly killing cells, the virus may also produce an immune response against melanoma by releasing:
In 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved T-VEC as the first oncolytic virus therapy. The FDA approved T-VEC for patients with advanced melanoma (Stage IIIB, IIIC or IV) that cannot be completely removed with surgery. The treatment is injected directly into tumors that are:
T-VEC may not be right for certain patients, such as those who:
Patients should discuss T-VEC and other immunotherapy treatments with their physicians to understand the potential risks and benefits of a particular treatment.
Patients receive T-VEC as an intralesional (into the tumor) injection.
T-VEC has not been shown to improve overall survival or to shrink metastatic melanoma (melanoma that has spread to the brain, bone, liver, lungs or other organs).
Melanoma treatments, like T-VEC, have side effects, which can sometimes be serious. Patients should talk with their physician to learn more about the side effects of T-VEC and other melanoma treatment options.
If you are interested in finding out more about T-VEC, here are some questions you should ask your physicians:
Patient Assistant Programs (PAPs) are designed so that you still have access to the treatments you need, in any financial circumstance. Learn more about the manufacturer’s patient assistance program and other options here.
Manufacturer’s Patient Assistance
The Melanoma Research Alliance is the largest, non-profit funder of melanoma research worldwide. Since 2007, we have directly funded over $131 million in innovative grants to improve prevention, detection, and treatment of melanoma. We have also leveraged an additional $415 million in outside funds for research. Learn more about our funded research.