Herpes virus brings hope

One of the world's leading experts on skin cancer has developed a treatment for malignant melanoma, the lethal disease linked with sunbathing, that has shown promising results in early trials.

Professor Rona MacKie said the treatment involved using the herpes simplex virus, which causes cold sores, to attack the cancer.

Five patients with advanced melanoma were treated with the disabled virus. After two to eight weeks, the lesions were surgically removed and examination showed the virus had destroyed the cancer cells.

Professor MacKie urged caution over the interpretation of the results.

But she said: "We have shown that when the virus comes into contact with the melanoma cells it kills them. The beauty of it is that the virus is selective - it was particularly attracted to the melanoma cells and did not attack other cells."

Unlike other skin cancers, which are easily curable, malignant melanoma is lethal if not caught early.

The only treatment is surgery to remove the cancerous lesions from the skin, which can halt the disease in its early stages. But once the cancer has spread, there is no proven, effective treatment.

The preliminary study was designed to test only the safety of the herpes virus treatment, but the results showed it could work, too. The next stage would be to consider better ways of administering the treatment, Professor Mackie said.

"We have a proof of principle here - that the virus can kill the cancer cells. The next task is to think about how we give it; which patients at which stage of the disease might benefit most from the treatment.

"I am encouraged, but it is very early days. We have proved we can damage this cancer. Now we have to work out ways in which we can damage it better."