31/07/2025
What if I told you that a virus could become our new ally against skin cancer?
It sounds like science fiction, but it isn’t.
A recent study at the University of Oxford, supported by CRIS Cancer Foundation, has revealed that cytomegalovirus (CMV)—a virus with which many people cohabit—might actually help our bodies to combat metastatic melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer.
According to this research, individuals who had previously been exposed to CMV responded better to immunotherapy, experienced fewer side effects and possessed an immune system more primed to attack this cancer. All of this thanks to a special army of T cells that the virus appears to keep on high alert.
This discovery paves the way for potentially revolutionary strategies in the future:
✅ Designing vaccines that mimic the virus’s effect.
✅ Using the presence of CMV to personalise treatments.
✅ Combining immunotherapy with methods that enhance this immune response.
The notion that a past infection could help us fight cancer today is as astonishing as it is promising.
Who knows… perhaps a virus we’ve known for years is part of the solution we’ve been seeking.
