Is Ipilimumab the best solution for the treatment of malignant melanoma?

Chloe Walton
Malignant melanoma although rare is a form of cancer that without treatment progresses at an extremely fast rate. The development of drugs to try to halt the rapid rate at which malignant melanoma can grow and infect another organ of the body is an on going project by specialists. Dr Alison developed Ipilimumab in 1999 and it was found in the clinical trials that it does, in most cases, exactly what medical professionals have been looking for. However drugs such as ipilimumab come with risks associated with them. This poses the question of whether the benefits outweigh the risks and cost of the drug.

Skin and how malignant melanoma develops
Skin is the largest organ in our body, responsible for creating a barrier between the outside and our internal organs. The skin is made up of three layers. The first layer is the epidermis, which is made up of mainly keratinocytes; they make micro-layers, which continually grow outwards to compensate for old layers dying and flaking off. Within the epidermis Langerhans cells are contained which alert the immune system to virus’ and bacterium. The next layer is the dermis, which gives the skin its strength due to the elastin and collagen fibres. Also present in the dermis are; blood vessels which allows the skins temperature to be maintained, and nerves which pick up feelings of heat, pain etc. and relay to the brain. The final layer is the subcutis, which contains a layer of fat that can be used, for energy if there is a shortage of food intake, as insulation from the cold, and a way of minimizing risk of injury from bumps and falls.

UV-B rays that are emitted by the sun are harmful to skin cells. “It can damage molecules such as proteins and nucleic acid as they absorb this energy”. When DNA or RNA absorbs UV-B rays it can