Early research suggests there may be benefits in using an immunotherapy protein, interleukin-2 (IL-2), combined with usual chemotherapy treatment for people with melanoma.

Dr Ulrich Keilholz from the Free University of Berlin said: "For those patients who had not yet developed symptoms from the spread of their cancer, the treatment may hold promise."

Immunotherapy treatment stimulates the body's natural defence system to fight disease more effectively and is being tried in treating a number of cancers.

Trials of the drug for treating melanoma are underway in a number of European countries, including the UK.

So far 363 patients have been studied, randomised into one group which receives interferon and chemotherapy alone and a second group which additionally receives IL-2.

Optimism

In those patients where the melanoma had spread to an extent that it was causing symptoms immunotherapy appeared to have no benefit.

But the researchers are optimistic that, in patients where the spread of the disease remains symptomless, treatment with IL-2 could improve survival rates.

Dr Alan Lamont who is looking after one of the UK centres involved in the trial at Southend Hospital agreed the results were encouraging.