Common virus may improve skin cancer treatment outcomes (Cytomegalovirus)

A new study has revealed that a common and usually harmless virus may positively influence how skin cancer patients respond to current treatments. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that, while typically asymptomatic, is carried for life by around 50–60% of UK adults. In healthy individuals, CMV is kept in a dormant state by the immune system. However, this process profoundly reshapes how the immune system operates. The study explored how CMV affected the immune responses of 341 melanoma patients receiving immunotherapy, a form of cancer treatment that helps harness the immune system to recognize and fight cancer. This research...