Skin cancer: A vaccine to treat melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, is now available under clinical trial in the Republic after being in development for seven years.
During the trial, one group of patients with advanced melanoma at University Cork Hospital will receive the vaccine, Cancervaxin, while another will receive a placebo, according to Paul Redmond, regional director of cancer services for the Southern Health Board.
The trial will last as long as it takes to conclusively prove the vaccine's effectiveness, Mr Redmond said.
Though the trial's first patient was given the vaccine only two weeks ago, preliminary results were "very encouraging", Mr Redmond said.
There were 443 reported cases of melanoma in the Republic in 2000, the most recent year for which data are available, according to the National Cancer Registry in Cork.
Melanoma is a type of cancer that occurs in the cells that produce melanin, a pigment responsible for colour in the skin. It usually starts on the surface of the skin, often in a pre-existing mole.
Melanoma is caused by exposure to strong sunlight. People with fair skin or who have a history of the disease in their family are at greater risk of developing the disease. Signs and symptoms of melanoma include: a new mark on the skin that won't go away; a change in the size, shape or colour of moles; and itching, crusting or bleeding of moles.
The trial is open to patients who suffer from stage three or four melanoma.
Stage three melanoma is characterised by the disease's spread to the lymph glands, which store the fluid that carries cells that fight against infection. Stage four melanoma occurs when the disease spreads to organs, like the liver or lungs.
"For melanoma, there's very little else out there if patients develop stage three or stage four disease," Mr Redmond said. "Chemotherapy is not really effective and radiotherapy is not particularly effective."
Funding for the trial was provided through the Ireland-Northern Ireland-US National Cancer Consortium.
For more information, call the Cancervaxin helpline at (021) 4920051.