"In a few months time those suffering from skin cancer may find an unlikely hero in their treatment regimen herpes. A modified version of the Herpes Simplex  http virus known for causing cold sores and some cases of genital herpes called TVec has successfully been used to treat melanoma http in a phase III clinical trial http That means its just waiting for a final okay from the FDA before the Amgen product can hit the market. The results of the trial were published Tuesday in Journal of Clinical Oncology http_releasesiocrwfa.php. Personalized cancer vaccines have already helped treat three patients http In a study of  patients with inoperable melanoma Talimogene Laherparepvec had . percent of patients showing results at the sixmonth mark compared to . percent taking the control therapy. Some patients were continuing to respond to TVEC three years later. Patients with stage III and early stage IV melanoma treated with TVEC  people in all lived an average of  months. This compared with an average survival of . months in the  earlierstage patients who received the control immunotherapy. Immunotherapy http where agents are used to boost a bodys natural defense against a tumor are already the best treatments against melanoma. But this is the first time a modified virus has been successful in carrying out that treatment. One day doctors might prescribe viruses instead of antibiotics http Using a virus as a drug isnt a new idea. Phage therapy http where viruses that attack certain bacteria are used in place of antibiotics is commonly used in Europe and on the rise in the United States. But cancer therapies like the one described in the new paper take things a step further manipulating existing viruses to turn them into cancerfighting tools. Kevin Harrington http Professor of Biological Cancer Therapies at The Institute of Cancer Research and head of the trial has been working on this particular virus for about a decade. Before he signed onto the project it was primarily being investigated as a breast cancer treatment. But Harrington brought head neck and skin cancer patients into the mix and melanoma seemed to have the best responses of all. Heres how TVEC works It starts with the herpes virus which is magnificent at proliferating itself within cells and then causing them to burst thats where the cold sores come from. But TVEC has had two key genes removed. These keep it from replicating within healthy cells which can quickly spot it because of the missing genes. But cancer cells arent as savvy and TVEC has its run of them. Meanwhile TVEC has also been modified to produce a molecule called GMCSF which serves as a red flag waved at the immune system. So in addition to the destructive power of the TVEC cells themselves the therapy summons the immune system right to where its needed  the tumor. Watch how the bodys serial killers stalk and attack cancer cells http This is a first in class agent a brand new therapy Harrington said. But its just the farthest along of what we hope will be many more. Harrington expects the FDA to clear TVEC within the year and it could potentially be available to patients right away. But theres more work to be done to determine just how TVEC can fit into the cancertreatment landscape. When the latest trial was started Harrington explained there was no standard of treatment for melanoma  so its compared to a treatment that no one expected to outpace TVEC. Now that other therapies   ones that target specific mutations in patients cancer cells  are showing more success than what was available when the trial was formed researchers will have to see how TVEC compares. The next steps are exciting and already underway he said. The next big frontier will be to combine this with existing immunotherapies. Theres a strong rationale that other drugs on the market could act synogistically with ours. Trials are also underway to determine how TVEC might do with other cancers. In the meantime other researchers will continue to crack the codes of other viruses to make them do our bidding."