Exploring a hypothetical design of a nanoparticle-base cancer vaccine for the skin cancer melanoma

Abstract

Melanoma is a skin cancer, in which cancer cells form in the melanocytes. It can occur anywhere on the skin but is hard to spot due to its only signs being a change in the way a specific mole or pigmented area looks. It is usually curable. Still, once it has bypassed stage IV, it can become fatal and deadly. The stages of melanoma depend on how thick the tumor is and whether it has broken through the skin. The most deadly is stage IV, in which the cancer has spread to numerous parts of the body, including but not limited to the lungs, liver, and brain. Studies have shown that the average 5-year survival rate for melanoma skin cancer is 94%; however, only 32% of people survive once the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body (The American Cancer Society et al., n.d.). Treatments for stage IV melanoma include surgery or radiation therapy. However, newer forms of immunotherapy and targeted drugs have shown to be more effective than chemotherapy. This paper will explore both the benefits and drawbacks of the immune checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab and the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib, both of which are FDA-approved. Furthermore, the paper will also explore the use of the PLGA nanoparticle in drug delivery as well as the possible future direction of this cancer treatment.