Utah has the highest rate of melanoma skin cancer in the nation, according to the National Cancer Institute. Intermountain Health’s new treatment program for advanced cases of melanoma is offering hope to patients resistant to current treatments.
Melanoma is one of the most common cancers and it is the deadliest. Data from the National Cancer Institute shows Utah’s incidence rate of the disease between 2016 and 2022 was nearly 41 cases per 100,000, twice the national average. Dr. Caroline Nebhan, a surgical oncologist at Intermountain Health said two of the main reasons for this rate are our high elevation and outdoor recreation.
"So those UV rays are much stronger here. And two, we like to spend a lot of time outdoors in Utah, enjoying our beautiful Utah landscape.”
Dr. Nebhan is one of the leaders of Intermountain's new program for patients with advanced melanoma that cannot be removed surgically or has spread to other parts of the body. It is called tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy, referred to as TIL.
According to Dr. Nebhan, this therapy works by extracting a walnut sized piece of a patient's tumor and then sending that tumor sample off to the lab, where those lymphocytes, or white blood cells, are extracted from the tumor and expanded in the lab in the order of billions, and eventually re-infused in the patient after a short course of chemotherapy.
She says it is a very personalized treatment compared to other existing ones that are mostly off-the-shelf drugs administered through intravenous therapy (IV).
"This really relies on a patient's own tumor cells and those important immune cells called lymphocytes that are then expanded and infused back into the patient.”
The process includes AMTAGVI, the first and only FDA-approved prescription medication for the treatment of advanced melanoma that has not responded to standard therapies. Since its approval in 2024, so far two patients have undergone this treatment.
“You know, melanoma is a really challenging disease because it affects young and old, all different skin colors. TIL therapy gives me a great amount of hope, and we want to make sure that all patients eligible have access to this wonderful treatment,” said Nebhan.
To check for skin cancer, Dr. Nebhan says to take note of moles with jagged borders, multiple colors, and any spots that are bleeding, scabbing and not healing. Additionally, it's important to know how to protect yourself from the Sun.
"So wearing a wide brim hat, long sleeve, long pants, trying to avoid being out in the sun during those peak hours of 10 am to 4 pm and importantly, wearing SPF at least SPF 30 or greater, and reapplying regularly," said Nebhan.
