Improving treatments for melanoma with Dr Lavinia Spain
3 min read 14 January 2025
Amazing things are happening at Peter Mac. One of our promising researchers, Dr Lavinia Spain, is hard at work finding better ways to treat melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer affecting thousands of Australians every year. Because of generous supporters, Dr Spain is able to dedicate more time to her important work as a 2024 Discovery Partner Fellow.
Meet Dr Lavinia Spain, 2024 Peter Mac Discovery Partner Fellow
Why melanoma research matters
Melanoma is the third most common cancer in Australia, with 1 person diagnosed every 30 minutes. Together with New Zealand, we have the highest rates of melanoma in the world, which is why it's known as 'Australia's national cancer'. But there's hope thanks to research, people like Dr Spain and people like you.
Peter Mac has one of the largest melanoma and skin services in the Southern Hemisphere. We have been staging pivotal clinical trials with the latest immunotherapies, which harness the patient's own immune system to fight cancer. This work has helped increase the 5-year survival rate in metastatic melanoma to more than 50 per cent.
Right now, some melanoma patients are treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). ICIs work by blocking proteins that stop the immune system from attacking cancer cells. Treatments using ICIs can help the body defend itself against cancer – ultimately helping to save lives. However, they don’t work for everyone, and sometimes they come with serious side effects.
Dr Spain’s research is tackling both of these issues head-on
Dr Spain is working to create new treatments that can help more people and cause fewer side effects. As part of her work, she's exploring ways to reduce the harsher side effects of these therapies and keep patients who experience them out of hospital.
Through this research, with collaborators she’s also evaluating a dietary intervention that may improve the immune response for people with stage 3 melanoma who receive ICIs before surgery. By understanding how diet can boost the body’s ability to generate a stronger immune response, Dr Spain is exploring the role of diet as an additional tool to improve cancer treatment outcomes.
Dr Spain explains:
"ICIs have changed how we treat advanced melanoma, but some patients still don’t respond well, and these treatments can cause tough side effects. My research is working on both of these problems. I’m investigating dietary approaches to help improve patients’ immune response and looking at ways to reduce the impact of ICI-related side effects."
Her goal? To make these powerful treatments safer and more effective for everyone who needs them.
Support Dr Spain’s goal – become a Peter Mac Discovery Partner now
Looking ahead with hope
Dr Spain is full of hope for the future, and she’s determined to make sure the work she’s doing today will help more patients tomorrow. Part of her research also explores innovative therapies like tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy, which uses a patient’s own immune cells to fight melanoma. This could be a game-changer, though it remains a complex area of study.
Your kindness is helping create a future where cancer treatments are more effective, with fewer side effects.
"I’m really grateful, and I hope that the hard work ahead will show we can find better ways to manage the side effects of these treatments so we can give them to everyone," Dr Spain says.
Together, we’re taking big steps toward a world where no one fears a cancer diagnosis.
Dr Spain is hoping to develop new treatments that can help more people and cause fewer side effects
How you can help
If you’re inspired by Dr Spain’s work and want to make a bigger impact, you can become a Discovery Partner today. It’s a powerful way to help.
By making a regular monthly donation, you’ll be supporting life-saving research every single day. Your ongoing contribution will allow researchers like Dr Spain to accelerate their important work, providing the stability they need to explore new ideas and make breakthroughs.
