Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) and Elekta have entered into a pilot collaboration aimed at developing a digital solution for patients with melanoma. 

The incidence of melanoma, a type of skin cancer that develops when pigment-producing cells located in the skin grow uncontrollably, has been rising steadily over the past few decades, with around 16,700 new cases of the disease diagnosed in the UK every year.

Although financial details of the partnership have not been disclosed, Elekta outlined that the collaboration will leverage its digital health interventions platform, Kaiku Health, to "facilitate communication between healthcare professionals and their patients on symptom management”.

It is hoped that the digital solution will give patients an accessible and user-friendly way to share relevant information on their well-being with their care team, and to receive personalised support and guidance during treatment. 

Through the use of machine learning algorithms, the platform will allow for real-time evaluation of patient-reported data, giving healthcare providers personalised insights that could improve patients’ care pathway and care experience.

Anish Patankar, senior vice president and head of business line software at Elekta, said: "We are thrilled to collaborate with BMS to potentially advance the use of digital health interventions, such as in the treatment of melanoma.

“By providing patients with the tools and support they need, we aim to empower them to actively participate in their treatment journey.”

Melanoma can be mostly treatable when caught in the very early stages, but survival rates can decrease as the disease progresses.

BMS’ Opdualag (nivolumab and relatlimab) was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency at the end of December last year to treat patients aged 12 years and older with advanced melanoma, and was subsequently recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for use in this patient population.