The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) and The American Cancer Society (ACS) have announced the first recipients of their new research grants, reports PRNewswire. The grants have been set up as a fund for researchers working on reducing some of the rare side effects of checkpoint inhibitor cancer treatments.
Checkpoint inhibitor drugs for treating cancer are a form of immunotherapy treatment that helps the immune system to recognise and fight tumour cells, by blocking the proteins that usually prevent this from happening. The drugs are particularly effective for treating melanoma and are also show promise for treating other cancers, such as Hodgkin lymphoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, kidney, bladder, neck, head, lung, and MSI-H cancers. However, some people get side effects from these drugs, which can include fatigue, nausea, skin rashes, appetite loss, diarrhoea, and changes to the functioning of the liver, glands, and kidneys. These side effects can occasionally be very serious, so more research into how to reduce or prevent them is needed.