New therapy targets spread of melanoma

More than 76,000 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed this year, and about 10,000 people in the US will die from this form of skin cancer.

Until now, there was no hope for melanoma that spread to other areas of the body. But for the first time, a new drug is changing the game and saving lives.

Three years ago, Tom Stutz could barely move, let alone play tennis. He had melanoma that spread to his lungs, liver, spine and shoulder, leaving him in constant pain.

"It got to the point where I was put on oxygen 24-7," Stutz said.

Even his best tennis buddies thought his days on the court were over.

"I saw him in a wheelchair, 24-hour care, and I said to myself, 'I don't think he's going to last a month,'" said Tom Mertens.

Every medicine Stutz tried failed until he enrolled in a clinical trial at UCLA to test a brand new therapy called Keytruda.

"I think it is a game changer," said Dr. Antoni Ribas, professor of medicine at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.

Keytruda is given as an infusion every three weeks. It targets a protein that allows the immune system to attack the cancer. The FDA approved the drug as a "breakthrough therapy" after a phase one trial showed 72 percent of patients had their tumors shrink.

"And it's not growing back many months later," Ribas said.

Stutz's tumors are 15 percent their original size. His friends are amazed by his recovery.

"I'm flabbergasted, stupefied, and thankful!" said Sidney Soffer.

"I feel great," Stutz said.

Ribas says it's very unusual for a drug to be approved by the FDA after a phase one trial. Typically, medicines are approved after phase two or three studies. The therapy may also help lung, bladder, head and neck cancers, but researchers say further study is needed.