Breakthrough for melanoma patients with new drug that has already saved lives

Australian researchers have made a breakthrough in the fight against melanoma, trialling a new drug that has already saved lives.

More than 700 Australians took part in the clinical trial with Melanoma Institute Australia, including Sydney father Andrew Bennett.

The 57-year-old had melanoma tumours that had spread through his leg, but after undergoing immunotherapy, they were all gone in just six months.

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"You get your life back. It's hard to express. When you think you're going somewhere else and you're not. It was sort of life-changing in many respects," Mr Bennett said.

Immunotherapy is when the body's own immune system is used to fight cancer.

Drugs called "checkpoint inhibitors" block the proteins that stop the immune system from attacking cancer cells.

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Until now there have been two checkpoint inhibitors that can be used for melanoma - this breakthrough adds a third to the mix.

Relatlimab is the first immunotherapy treatment to target LAG-3, a protein in immune cells.

It can also be used in combination with the drugs already available and has proven to be less toxic for patients.

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"It means that the patient tolerates the treatment better with a lower chance of side effects," senior lead author of the trial Professor Georgina Long AO told 9News.

"And in fact, they have a very high quality of life most people are able to work full time and enjoy life as if they didn't know they had cancer."

Clinical trials are now underway to test the drug's effectiveness on other cancers including lung, liver, head and neck and kidney cancer.