Investigating the potential of oncolytic viruses in the treatment of melanoma: where do we go from here?

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) can destroy cancer cells without harming healthy cells. This review explores the mechanisms by which OVs operate and the methods of delivering them. Melanoma is a common type of skin cancer with increasing prevalence in the UK; therefore, finding effective strategies to combat the disease is paramount. To understand the potential of OVs in treating melanoma, different types of viruses will be reviewed. Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is the only OV to be approved for treating melanoma; this review aims to understand the efficacy of T-VEC as a monotherapy and combined with other treatments. There is substantial evidence to support the use of OVs in treating melanoma by synthesizing the current perspectives of their use where they proved to be effective in clinical trials, as monotherapies and in combination with other treatments, as well as exciting innovative ventures using novel virus species. Gaps are also highlighted in the research, such as determining the influence that cancer gene mutational status has on how the tumour cells react to treatment, a concept that should also be considered in future research.