T-VEC (Imlygic™) Treatment for Melanoma

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center is the first in the state of South Carolina to administer T-VEC. The prescription medication is injected into melanoma spots that are on or beneath the skin or in lymph nodes. The virus works to kill the cancer by multiplying within the tumor causing the tumor to burst. This triggers your body's immune system to recognize the tumor cells and fight against the cancer.

Advantages of T-VEC

  • T-VEC is targeted and precise because it’s injected directly into melanoma tumors.
  • On average, patients who take T-VEC could see a response in less than five months, sometimes much sooner.
  • There are mild to moderate side effects that typically diminish within a few days.
  • Treatment occurs every 2-3 weeks and is done during a short office visit, with no hospital admission.
  • No port or IV line is needed.

Who should avoid T-VEC?

Pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems (HIV/AIDS, blood or bone marrow cancer, steroid use) should avoid this treatment.

What is the treatment process?

Your doctor will decide which tumor(s) to inject but may not inject all of them. T-VEC is injected directly into the melanoma lesions. The second treatment must be administered three weeks after the initial injection. Patients receive subsequent doses every two-three weeks for six months or, for as long as you have tumors.

What are the side effects?

  • Flu-like symptoms
  • Tiredness
  • Chills
  • Fever
  • Nausea
  • Pain at the treatment site