In addition to the Sjöberg Prize, where 9/10 of the prize money is reserved for research purposes, the Sjöberg Foundation has decided in 2025 on grants totaling approximately SEK 91,6 (172.1) million. This sum includes

• SEK 3 million to Kraftens Hus for establishing new enterprises,

• SEK 745 000 to GIH for network activities for establishing physical training for cancer sufferers,

and the research project below.

Umeå University

Can radiotherapy prolong life in patients with incurable bladder cancer?

Many people diagnosed with bladder cancer are frail and elderly, and often cannot cope with the demanding treatment that is necessary to cure the disease. Karin Söderkvist will investigate whether these patients can benefit from local radiotherapy. The aim is to slow the tumor’s growth and lessen the severe symptoms it usually causes.

Half of all those diagnosed with bladder cancer are older than 74; in cases where the disease has spread or the patient cannot cope with curative treatment, patients and doctors face difficult choices. The tumor – which often grows rapidly – can cause pain, bleeding and the need to urinate frequently. Many people die within six months. So how can this cancer be contained without causing the patient too much harm?

Karin Söderkvist, a senior consultant at the University Hospital of Umeå, will receive a grant of six million Swedish kronor from the Sjöberg Foundation to investigate whether a tailored form of local radiotherapy can help patients. She will work with colleagues from around Sweden. In recent years, the technology for treating tumors with radiotherapy has made significant progress, so fewer treatment sessions are necessary, the tumor is more effectively controlled, and the side effects are milder.

The project will involve 248 patients, half of whom will receive adapted radiotherapy in addition to their standard care. The researchers will also collect different tissue samples. They will look for biomarkers that can identify which tumors respond best to radiotherapy and will use the samples to learn more about various aspects of bladder cancer.

Uppsala University

Personalized contraception advice will prevent cancer

The contraceptive pill has a protective effect against ovarian and uterine cancer, but may increase the risk of breast cancer. Åsa Johansson will investigate how hereditary factors and women’s lifestyles influence the link between hormone-based contraceptives and the risk of cancer. The aim is to be able to provide women with personalized contraceptive advice.

In recent years, the use of hormonal contraceptives in Sweden has changed. Women used to take contraceptive pills that contained a combination of estrogen och progestogen, but progestogen-based pills and hormone IUDs are now more common. In 2022, Åsa Johansson received a grant from the Sjöberg Foundation to investigate how this change may have affected the risk of cancer. The results show that combined oral contraceptives provide better protection against ovarian and uterine cancer, while also reducing the risk of breast cancer.

Åsa Johansson will now map how women’s lifestyles and hereditary cancer genes affect the hormonal risk puzzle. Obesity, for example, has been linked to an increased risk of uterine cancer, while women with certain genetic predispositions to ovarian cancer are 3–4 times more likely to develop this form of cancer. At the same time, research shows that oral contraceptives can prevent up to 20 per cent of all ovarian cancer cases.

The project aims to increase knowledge of how lifestyle, genetic factors and hormones combine to shape the risk of cancer, so women can receive more accurate and personalized recommendations for hormonal contraception. The aim is to maximize protection against ovarian and uterine cancer, while minimizing the risk of other forms of cancer. The Sjöberg Foundation is funding the project with 4.5 million Swedish kronor.

New method will fine-tune immunotherapy and reduce side effects

CAR-T cell therapies, in which the body’s own immune cells are genetically modified to attack cancer cells, can save the lives of people with leukemia and lymphoma. However, in some cases the CAR-T cells become overactive and cause life-threatening side effects. Magnus Essand is exploring a method that will curtail the cells’ activity, allowing the treatment to be finetuned.

When CAR-T cells attack cancer cells, they release signal substances – cytokines – which activate a range of other immune cells in the body. Together, these immune cells can eliminate the cancer, but CAR-T cells sometimes release excessive amounts of cytokines. Patients may then develop cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or immune effector cell associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), conditions which can be life-threatening and require intensive care.

Magnus Essand, a professor at Uppsala University, and his colleagues Anna Dimberg and Stefano Barbera are developing a modified variant of CAR-T-cells, which release a more moderate dose of cytokines. They have modified the protein, CAR, that allows CAR-T cells to attack cancer cells. In preclinical trials, they have shown that the modification reduces the risk of serious side effects in CAR-T cell therapy. The treatment also appears to be more effective because the CAR-T cells do not wear out as quickly.

Magnus Essand and his colleagues will now receive a grant of 7.5 million kronor from the Sjöberg Foundation to continue their research into this new type of CAR-T cell, with the aim of benefitting patients.

Karolinska

Smarter mammography can detect more breast cancer cases

Should women be offered mammography based on their individual risk of developing breast cancer? This question is being asked by a research group in a study called SMART: Stockholm Mammography Risk-Based Trial.

In Sweden, all women aged 40 to 74 are offered mammography. Depending on the region they live in, they are invited to breast cancer screening at 18–24-month intervals. Despite this frequency, 30 percent of breast cancer cases in women who have mammograms are detected between these examinations.

Led by Per Hall, professor at Karolinska Institutet, researchers are now investigating whether women at risk of breast cancer should be screened more often and with different methods. The researchers are inviting women who undergo mammography at two hospitals in Stockholm to participate in a study that will include 46,000 people. Half will continue with mammography according to the current routine, while the other half will be offered a risk-adjusted screening program. Those who are assessed as having an elevated risk of breast cancer – approximately 20 per cent of all women – will undergo contrast-enhanced mammography, which increases the chance of detecting small tumors. They will also be called for an additional examination after twelve months.

The aim of the study is to understand how the mammography program can be optimized so that more tumors can be detected at an early stage, without this leading to overdiagnosis and unnecessary anxiety. The Sjöberg Foundation is funding the project with 4.5 million Swedish kronor.

Will make liver tumors more receptive to treatment

It can be difficult for cancer drugs to penetrate liver tumors, because the surrounding area often has increased pressure. Researchers will now investigate whether it is possible to lower the pressure using an existing drug. The hope is that blood flow through the tumor will increase, allowing the cancer treatment to penetrate the tissue.

Many types of cancer spread to the liver. As the metastases grow, they attract cells that form connective tissue. This makes the tissue surrounding the tumor denser and more compact, leading to increased tissue pressure and poorer blood flow, which prevents cancer drugs from penetrating the tumor.

Swedish researchers have discovered that a special protein, PDGFRβ, plays a key role when the tissue surrounding the tumor becomes denser. As this protein is involved in other cancers, there is already a drug, imatinib, that can block it.

Rimma Axelsson, professor at Karolinska Institutet, will now receive a grant of three million Swedish kronor from the Sjöberg Foundation to investigate, together with colleagues, whether imatinib can make the tissue surrounding liver tumors more permeable. The project will be conducted in two stages. Using a new radioactive substance that binds specifically to PDGFRβ, the researchers will first study whether they can identify patients who have PDGFRβ-rich tumors. Next, they will conduct a
randomized controlled trial to investigate whether these patients benefit from receiving imatinib as a supplement to standard treatment. The hope is that this will prolong the patients’ lives.

New treatment works like chemotherapy but without severe side effects

Several of the chemotherapy drugs used to treat metastatic bowel and lung cancer inhibit the cells’ production of thymidine, a building block of DNA. The treatment is effective but damages healthy tissue. Thomas Helleday is developing a new form of treatment that selectively destroys cancer cells’ thymidine production and is gentler on the rest of the body.

Bowel cancer and lung cancer are rarely curable once they have spread. Many patients are then given chemotherapy, which can slow down the  disease’s progression and prolong life. However, the drugs damage healthy cells, causing severe side effects and limiting the length of time the treatment can be given.

Thomas Helleday, a professor at Karolinska Institutet, is developing new forms of cancer treatments that kill cancer cells, but which healthy cells can tolerate much better. One of these, MTHFD1/2 inhibitors, prevents bowel and lung cancer cells from producing thymidine, which is an essential building block that cells require so they can copy their genetic material and divide. Without it, they wither away.

Healthy cells can produce thymidine differently to cancer cells, so they tolerate the new treatment more than a thousand times better than the cancer cells. Thomas Helleday’s research group demonstrated this in previous experiments. They will now receive a grant of 7.5 million Swedish kronor from the Sjöberg Foundation to continue developing this treatment. Among other things, they will look for biomarkers that may indicate which patients could benefit from the treatment. They will also test how it works in combination with existing ones.

Can an existing drug help with relapsed blood cancer?

In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), cancer cells often become resistant to the most important chemotherapies in the treatment arsenal. Nikolas Herold has discovered that he can overcome the cancer cells’ defense against chemotherapy with existing pharmaceutical: hydroxyurea. He will now investigate whether this can help people with relapsed AML.

Only a quarter of all people diagnosed with AML – a common type of blood cancer – are still alive after five years. A major problem is that cancer cells develop resistance to cytarabine, the chemotherapy drug that is currently one of the best weapons in fighting the disease.

Nikolas Herold, a researcher at Karolinska Institutet, has discovered that cancer cells produce a natural enzyme, SAMHD1, which breaks down the chemotherapy drug. In 2021, he received a grant from the Sjöberg Foundation for work with Swedish colleagues on investigating whether an existing drug, hydroxyurea, could counteract the effect of SAMHD1 and increase the cancer cells’ sensitivity to cytarabine. Preliminary results from the study, which was conducted on people with newly-diagnosed AML, appear very promising.

Nikolas Herold will now receive an additional grant of 4.5 million Swedish kronor. This time, he and his colleagues will investigate whether hydroxyurea can also help patients with relapsed AML. They will be treated with cytarabine in combination with another chemotherapy drug, fludarabine. In cell studies, Herold’s research group has shown that hydroxyurea can also increase the sensitivity of cells to this chemotherapy.

New treatments will combat resistance in lung cancer

A range of targeted drugs can prolong life in patients with lung cancer, but tumors eventually become resistant to treatment. Together with a group of researchers, Simon Ekman is investigating how resistance develops. The hope is to develop treatments that prevent tumors from becoming resistant to these drugs.

Lung cancer is difficult to treat and has a high mortality rate. However, with the help of treatments that target mutated proteins, such as EGFR, KRAS and ALK, patients with some subtypes of lung cancer can live longer. Sooner or later, however, the tumors often change and
become resistant to treatment.

Simon Ekman, a professor at Karolinska Institutet, has previously received two grants from the Sjöberg Foundation to investigate what causes the cancer cells’ resistance. One discovery by his research team is that the tumors produce specific microRNA – molecules that can control which genes are active in the cells.

Simon Ekman will now receive a further three million kronor from the Sjöberg Foundation to continue mapping how resistance develops and finding ways to halt it. Among other things, the research team will develop tumor organoids, which are three-dimensional miniature models of tumors that are grown from patients’ cancer cells. Using these tiny models, researchers can test treatments that could potentially block cancer cells’ resistance to various drugs.

Could an existing drug boost immunotherapy for skin cancer?

Immunotherapies have revolutionized the treatment of cutaneous melanoma, but the disease progresses in around half the patients. Hanna Eriksson will investigate whether an existing drug, momelotinib, can override some tumors’ defenses against immunotherapy, so that more patients can be cured.

In many cases, immunotherapies – known as checkpoint inhibitors – can eliminate every single cancer cell in patients with cutaneous melanoma, but in other cases they are of little help. Hanna Eriksson, an associate professor at Karolinska Institutet, has investigated why this treatment can have such varying effects. Her research shows that in some tumors that cause high mortality, the effect of a protein called SAMHD1 has been lost. This leads to the accumulation of DNA fragments inside the cells which, in turn, triggers a signaling pathway called STING–TBK1 in the cancer cells. When the activation of this signaling pathway is chronic, the tumor environment appears to become immunosuppressive, which counteracts or impairs the effect of immunotherapy.

Hanna Eriksson will now receive a grant of 4.5 million kronor from the Sjöberg Foundation to investigate whether an already approved drug, momelotinib, can normalize STING–TBK1 signaling and increase the tumors’ sensitivity to immunotherapy. In a phase IB/II clinical trial, she and her colleagues will investigate whether it is safe to treat patients with a combination of checkpoint inhibitors and momelotinib, and whether this could lead to more patients benefiting from the treatment.

Linköping University

Will investigate simpler methods for assessing lung capacity

In some cases, lung cancer can be cured by surgical removal of the tumor, but people who have reduced lung capacity risk serious complications following this procedure. Doctors will now investigate whether simple methods can be used to assess a patient’s lung functionality, to determine whether an operation risks doing more harm than good.

Often, cancer patients who are to undergo surgery for a lung tumor perform an exercise test, a CPET, prior to the procedure. Healthcare staff measure lung function, ECG, blood pressure and blood oxygenation while the patient cycles or exercises in some other way. This provides a good picture of the person’s physical condition, but the examination is expensive and resource-intensive.

Kristofer Hedman, associate professor at Linköping University, will now receive a grant of three million Swedish kronor from the Sjöberg Foundation, to investigate if a simpler and cheaper test could show whether a patient can cope with surgery. In the test, patients are asked to perform gentle exercise on a stationary bike, while wearing a breathing mask that measures the level of carbon dioxide they exhale, PetCO2.

Along with colleagues at five other clinics, Kristofer Hedman will study around 100 patients who are facing lung surgery. The aim is to find out how well the PetCO2 measurement performs in comparison with CPET. The researchers will also investigate whether PetCO2 can predict the effect of other cancer treatments and indicate a patient’s chances of surviving cancer.

Should pancreatic cancer metastases be removed from the liver?

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most dangerous forms of cancer and the tumor has often spread before the disease is detected. Until now, patients at this stage have only been given chemotherapy that can somewhat prolong their life. Researchers will now investigate whether people who respond well to chemotherapy and only have metastases in the liver can live even longer if the metastases are removed.

A survey of people who have been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma – the most common type of pancreatic cancer – indicates that median survival can almost double if liver metastases are removed. Researchers at some large university hospitals in northern Europe have therefore conducted a pilot study – ScanPan 1 – in which they investigated whether established chemotherapy can be combined with surgery or ablation, where metastases are destroyed using heat, for example.

Bergthór Björnsson, adjunct professor at Linköping University, will now receive a grant of 4.5 million Swedish kronor from the Sjöberg Foundation to conduct ScanPan 2 with his colleagues. In the study, 284 people with pancreatic cancer that has spread only to the liver will receive chemotherapy. Those who respond well – approximately 40 percent – will then be randomly assigned into two different groups. One will have the metastases removed, the other will continue with just chemotherapy. The aim is to investigate how removing the metastases affects quality of life and whether it can prolong life in this vulnerable patient group.

Can compression protect nerves from chemotherapy?

Some chemotherapy drugs that are used in cancer treatments can cause nerve damage in the hands and feet. Researchers will now investigate whether compression stockings and gloves can be used to prevent these injuries. The idea is that compression may affect blood flow in the capillaries during treatment, reducing the amount of chemotherapy drugs that reach the nerves.

Chemotherapy drugs that often cause nerve damage include oxaliplatin and some taxanes, such as paclitaxel and docetaxel. Nerve damage may limit the amount of chemotherapy that can be used during treatment. Symptoms of this damage – numbness, tingling or pain – can also persist for many years, even if they often diminish over time.

Researchers have previously investigated whether the nerves can be protected by cooling the patient’s hands and feet during chemotherapy. However, many people find this unpleasant and the treatment requires cooling machines. Kristina Engvall, senior physician at the county hospital in Jönköping, will now receive a grant of 860,000 Swedish kronor from the Sjöberg Foundation to investigate whether compression stockings and gloves can prevent nerve damage instead.

Along with colleagues at other hospitals, Kristina Engvall will conduct a clinical study that involves people receiving chemotherapy for either breast cancer or colorectal cancer. Half will be randomly selected to use compression stockings and gloves in conjunction with their treatment. The hope is that more people will be able to complete the entire treatment, so it has the best possible effect, and that fewer people will suffer long-term problems from nerve damage.

Gothenburg University

Better support for counteracting genital problems after radiotherapy

Women who undergo radiation therapy for gynecological cancer or anal cancer may have scarring in the genital area, which can lead to long-term problems with their sex life and selfesteem. Researchers will now investigate how they can better prevent these side effects and support women in taking measures to counteract tissue damage.

Not only can radiation cause scarring in the vagina, the tissue can contract, making it narrower. To counteract these problems by stretching the tissue in the vagina and increasing its elasticity, women are advised to use a vaginal dilator several times a week for three years after radiotherapy. The treatment helps with the damage, but many women find it difficult to start and to maintain over such a long time.

Linda Åkeflo, specialist nurse and researcher at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, has conducted a pilot project in which women have received support with starting vaginal dilation therapy prior to radiotherapy. This had several positive effects, one of which was that the women found it easier to see themselves as future cancer survivors.

Linda Åkeflo will now receive a grant of six million Swedish kronor from the Sjöberg Foundation to develop new methods and study how expanded support may help more women complete vaginal dilation  therapy. In addition to help with starting earlier, the women will receive support via a webbased app. Those who have experienced sexual assault or violence will be offered more personal support. The study will start at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, but may be expanded to more clinics.

Developing blood tests for personalized sarcoma treatment

Sarcoma is a group of rare but often aggressive cancers that also affect children. Anders Ståhlberg is developing different types of blood analyses to make it easier to choose treatments. One hope is that physicians can more quickly detect whether a therapy is ineffective or whether the tumor is changing.

Anders Ståhlberg, a professor at the University of Gothenburg, has developed a method called SiMSen-Seq that makes it possible to detect minimal amounts of tumor DNA in the blood. In 2022, he received a grant from the Sjöberg Foundation to adapt the method for treating sarcoma. This work has shown that the amount of tumor-specific DNA in the blood is an accurate reflection of the tumor burden and can reveal whether genetic changes are occurring – information that is crucial for choosing the right treatment.

Ståhlberg will now receiving an additional six million Swedish kronor from the Sjöberg Foundation to continue developing SiMSen-Seq. There are many types of sarcoma, so one aspect the research team will study is how well SiMSen-Seq works for different types of tumors. They will also investigate whether two other types of blood tests can provide clues as to how a specific sarcoma should be treated. One test involves detecting fragments of tumor RNA in the blood. The other test is an analysis of the immune system, which can show whether the cancer is developing aggressively.

The long-term hope is that physicians can use the blood tests to develop more individualized and accurate treatments for sarcoma, increasing the chance that therapy is successful.

Can a previously incurable form of blood cancer be cured?

Myeloma is an incurable form of blood cancer, but twonew treatments have proven to have promising effects. In some patients – who discontinued treatment due to side effects – the disease has not returned for several years. Researchers will now investigate whether more patients can pause their myeloma treatment or discontinue it altogether.

Previously, people diagnosed with myeloma usually died within 5–8 years, but new treatments have brought hope. One of the new treatments – administered in relapse cases – is a double-sided antibody, BCMA CD3, which connects cancer cells to the immune system’s T lymphocytes.

In 60–70 percent of all patients who receive the double-sided antibody, virtually all traces of the disease disappear, although the treatment has a powerful impact on the immune system and entails a risk of serious infections. Many patients thus need to discontinue it prematurely. Surprisingly, the cancer is often then conspicuously absent – in some patients, for over three years.

Markus Hansson, professor at the University of Gothenburg, and the Swedish Myeloma Group will now receive a grant of six million Swedish kronor from the Sjöberg Foundation, to investigate whether
more patients can discontinue the antibody treatment. In the project, they will use a new method that allows a relapse in myeloma to be detected at an early stage. If researchers find signs that the disease is returning, patients will resume treatment. However, the hope is that they will be able to take a long break from treatment or stop completely.

Should skin tumors stay in place when immunotherapy starts?

If people with metastatic melanoma receive immunotherapy before the metastases are surgically removed, the treatment has a better effect. Now the question is whether patients with non- metastatic melanoma should also receive immunotherapy before surgery. Roger Olofsson Bagge is leading a unique study in which researchers are investigating this.

Recently, physicians have changed how they treat melanoma that has spread to lymph nodes. Previously, they removed the tumors before patients received immunotherapy, but research shows that immunotherapy works better when the tumors remain in the body. Many more people are cured.

In earlier stages of melanoma, stages IIb/c, the standard procedure is still to remove the tumor immediately. At this stage, the tumor has grown significantly but shows no signs of spreading. The idea is that the operation removes the entire tumor, but many patients still suffer a relapse.

Roger Olofsson Bagge, professor at the University of Gothenburg, will receive a grant of three million Swedish kronor from the Sjöberg Foundation and work with colleagues to investigate whether stage IIb/c melanoma should also be treated with immunotherapy before surgery. The researchers will take a small tissue sample from the tumor, before randomly assigning participants to receive either a placebo
or one dose of immunotherapy. The hope is that immunotherapy will trigger a stronger immune response if the tumor is still present, enabling the immune system to destroy cancer cells that may already have spread through the body. After four weeks, the tumor will be surgically removed.

Lund University

Can tattoos cause liver or bladder cancer?

The inks that have traditionally been used for tattoos often contain carcinogenic substances. Researchers at Lund University have shown that people with tattoos have a 20 per cent increased risk of developing lymphoma and will now investigate how body art affects the risk of liver and bladder cancer.

Tattoo inks have been covered by the EU’s REACH chemicals regulation since 2022, so the EU has now set limits on the concentrations of hazardous substances in them. However, compliance is poor, so many of these inks still contain carcinogenic chemicals, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals.

During the tattooing process, large amounts of pigment are injected into the skin. Over the years, up to 99 per cent of this can spread throughout the body. The carcinogenic substances accumulate in the lymphatic system and liver, and leave the body via the bladder.

Until now, no researchers have investigated how tattoos affect the organs that process the body’s waste, but Christel Nielsen, associate professor at Lund University, recently discovered a link to an increased risk of lymphoma and malignant melanoma.

She has now received a grant of three million Swedish kronor from the Sjöberg Foundation to investigate whether tattoos can also increase the risk of liver and bladder cancer. An important aim of the project is that people who want to get a tattoo can be informed of any potential risks before deciding to go through with the process.

Will Bridge to Surgery help more people survive colon cancer?

Approximately one quarter of all cases of colon cancer are first detected when the person develops an intestinal obstruction, and the tumor is often then removed by emergency surgery. Researchers are now investigating whether it is better to temporarily resolve the intestinal obstruction, allowing more time to prepare for surgery. The hypothesis is that this may help more people survive colon cancer.

If a person requires emergency surgery for bowel cancer due to an intestinal obstruction, the risk of death within a few months increases fivefold, compared to when the surgery is planned. There is also a
greater risk of complications, such as the person needing a stoma bag for the rest of their life, and fewer people survive in the long term.

In a prospective study called the ACBC study, Pamela Buchwald, associate professor at Lund University, is investigating whether it is better to treat tumor-induced intestinal obstruction with a method known as Bridge to Surgery. In this approach, physicians resolve the acute intestinal obstruction using a temporary stoma bag or a metal tube – a stent – to open a passage through the bowel. This gives both the patient and the doctor a few weeks’ respite. Intestinal obstruction is often
traumatic, and the patient then has the chance to fill up with energy, fluids and salts before the operation. The surgeon is able to plan the tumor’s removal, which can usually be done using keyhole surgery.

The ACBC study began in September 2020 and is being conducted at 19 Swedish hospitals, where the use of Bridge to Surgery varies. So far, approximately 500 out of 1,000 patients have been included in the project. The researchers will follow them for up to 5 years to investigate which form of treatment offers the best chance of surviving colon cancer and the lowest risk of long-term complications. The Sjöberg Foundation is funding the project with three million Swedish kronor.

Could some patients with stomach and esophageal cancer avoid surgery?

If physicians assess that stomach or esophageal cancer can be cured, they will operate to remove the tumor. The question now is whether this is always necessary?Researchers will investigate whether using a combination of two different immunotherapies to treat tumors that carry a specific genetic abnormality is sufficient. The risk of future problems is reduced if patients do not need surgery.

In Sweden, every year 350–400 patients undergo surgery to remove tumors in the stomach or esophagus. The treatment is important for curing the cancer, but often causes long-term damage that can sometimes be serious. Approximately five percent of patients die within 90 days after the operation.

However, there is hope that some patients may be able to avoid surgery. Approximately one tenth of all stomach or esophageal tumors have a genetic mutation called dMMR. Smaller studies indicate that
immunotherapies may have a very powerful effect on these tumors. When these have been given prior to surgery, in an estimated 60 percent of patients all cancer cells seem to disappear.

David Borg, senior consultant at Skåne University Hospital, will now receive a grant of three million Swedish kronor from the Sjöberg Foundation to investigate this further. Along with colleagues in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, he will conduct a study in which 30–40 patients with dMMR tumors will receive a combination of two different immunotherapy drugs, nivolumab and ipilimumab, for a total of 18 weeks. The aim is to find out how many people can be cured without surgery and whether this can prevent long-term damage from cancer treatment.

New cell therapy to be tested on rare and difficult-to-treat melanoma

Specific immunotherapies – known as checkpoint inhibitors – have revolutionised the treatment of melanoma. However, they are less effective against an unusual and aggressive form of melanoma that occurs in the body’s mucous membranes. Researchers will now investigate whether a new type of cell therapy, based on tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), may be more effective against this type of cancer.

In Sweden, around 60 people are diagnosed annually with mucosal melanoma, which can occur in areas such as the nasal cavity, mouth or genitals. It is a difficult-to-treat form of cancer with a high mortality rate.

A group of researchers led by Ana Carneiro, associate professor at Lund University, will now receive a grant of 4.5 million Swedish kronor from the Sjöberg Foundation, to investigate whether TIL therapy can help treat mucosal melanoma. The therapy builds upon advanced cell technology and will be manufactured in Lund. Laboratory staff isolate lymphocytes, a type of immune cell, from the patient’s tumour, and then cultivate these cells to increase their numbers. The patients then get their lymphocytes back, with the hope that this reinforced cell army will be able to eliminate the tumours.

The researchers, who come from all over Sweden, will conduct a phase 1b study, which will include patients with mucosal melanoma who have received checkpoint inhibitors, but where treatment has failed. The aim is to see whether TIL therapy is safe to use and whether the treatment seems to have an effect. The researchers will also search for biomarkers that can reveal which patients may benefit from the treatment.