Researchers knew that patients with MCC who had a strong immune response within their tumors tended to have better outcomes and that people who had compromised immune systems were much more likely to develop MCC. They felt boosting patients’ immune responses could help them fight MCC. Certain kinds of cancers are more visible to the immune system, and MCC regardless of its cause, appears to be one of them.

This line of research has really taken off. The approach to managing advanced MCC has changed, with dramatic improvement in survival. Immunotherapies have provided new hope for patients with advanced Merkel cell carcinoma Both avelumab (the first immunotherapy drug approved by the FDA in 2017) and pembrolizumab are immune checkpoint inhibitors. The initial use of checkpoint inhibitors as a first-line therapy has now become the standard or care.

It’s much more effective to use immunotherapy and to use it first. MCC will recur in more than 90% of patients who are given chemotherapy, and those who have already received chemotherapy are significantly less likely to respond to subsequent immunotherapy. The researchers have found that the chance of a lasting response is about 10 times higher for immunotherapy, as long as it is given before chemotherapy. As impressive as the results have been, there is more work to be done to further improve outcomes in people with advanced Merkel cell cancer.

“An effective treatment for a devastating disease such as Merkel cell carcinoma using the patient's own immune system could only be developed through many years of basic and clinical research,” adds Ochoa. “Our participation in this major discovery shows that Louisiana can be at the forefront of research and the discovery of new treatments for cancer.”

“What wonderful news it is to all the patients affected with this terrible disease, and to all the men and women who have been working for years to defeat it,” says Vargas. “We also appreciate the ACF as they have been partners in finding a possible ‘cure’ for Merkel cell carcinoma. They are now expanding their philanthropic efforts to cover more patients in the state of Louisiana and to also cover other types of cancers susceptible to treatment with this and other immunotherapies.”

“The Al Copeland Foundation is proud to invest in immunotherapy and this game-changing, lifesaving treatment right here at home,” Copeland says. “While we didn’t win our father’s battle with cancer, we will win the war.”