All Melanoma News

Diagnostic accuracy of lesions was enhanced with combined dermoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy, according to one study.

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. With global incidence rates rising, new, more effective treatments are necessary to alleviate the health burden of the disease.

Researchers observed significant stepwise increases in median Breslow lesion thickness with increasing age at diagnosis of invasive melanoma in White patients in the United States and general population in Australia, according to a letter to the editor published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. With global incidence rates rising, new, more effective treatments are necessary to alleviate the health burden of the disease. Important advances in recent years include doctors using genetic tests to look for specific mutations they can target for more personalized, effective treatment.

A multicentric, single-arm diagnostic study created a decentralized federated learning model for the classification of invasive melanomas and nevi, showcasing comparable results to centralized data models.

Despite the high cure rate of localized cutaneous melanoma, many patients who undergo successful surgical resection experience severe anxiety and fear about the possibility of recurrence, according to findings published in JAMA Dermatology.

A mobile app that uses artificial intelligence, AI, to analyze images of suspected skin lesions can diagnose melanoma with very high precision.

Cells regulate RNA and protein abundance through a multi-layered process. Excitingly, peeling back one layer has revealed additional layers below, highlighting the complex nature of this process.

Lifileucel’s FDA approval marks a breakthrough in melanoma treatment, offering hope with promising antitumor activity. While its potential extends to various solid tumors, challenges persist.

Michelle Norton, skin cancer clinical nurse specialist at Velindre Cancer Centre, Cardiff, shares her perspectives on the burden of an advanced melanoma diagnosis, and how this digital Health Hub helps her to support her patients with advanced melanoma from diagnosis through to treatment.

On February 16, 2024, lifileucel (Amtagvi), a tumor-derived autologous T-cell immunotherapy, was granted accelerated approval for adults with unresectable or metastatic melanoma previously treated with a PD-1–blocking antibody, and if BRAF V600 mutation–positive, a BRAF inhibitor with or without a MEK inhibitor.

On October 13, 2023, nivolumab was approved for adjuvant treatment of completely resected stage IIB/C melanoma in patients aged 12 years and older.

Catherine J. Wu, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, USA, is a pioneer in research that may result in the development of personalised vaccines to treat cancer.

Incidence of melanoma and keratinocyte (nonmelanoma) skin cancers, such as squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas (SCC and BCC, respectively), continues to increase, but mortality rates are stable or declining because of an explosion of treatment options, including numerous immunotherapy regimens, according to an oral presentation at the 2024 Oncology Nurse Advisor Summit.

A mobile app that uses artificial intelligence, AI, to analyse images of suspected skin lesions can diagnose melanoma with very high precision. This is demonstrated by a national study involving researchers from the University of Gothenburg. For the study, the app has been tested in clinical practice at primary care centers.

Vaccines developed using mRNA technology helped turn the tide during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, researchers at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center and other cancer centers around the world are looking at using mRNA vaccines to personalize cancer treatment.

A population-based cohort study out of Norway has found that older men have a higher risk of developing second primary invasive melanoma following an initial primary melanoma, suggesting the benefits of increased surveillance in these patients.

According to a recent study published in Environmental Toxicology, regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a crucial role in immune suppression within the melanoma microenvironment.

Patients aged 40 years and younger saw longer interval times between melanoma incidences vs. patients aged 50 to 59 years and 80 years or older.

Craig L. Slingluff Jr., MD, and his team at UVA Cancer Center have developed a second-generation melanoma vaccine to treat the dangerous skin cancer.

An artificial intelligence (AI) mode was more accurate in assessing patient risks for skin cancer through the analysis of 2D facial images compared with more traditional risk-factor screening.

An ecological study revealed increasing rates of skin cancer overdiagnosis in white Americans.

An alternative dose of ipilimumab and nivolumab had less toxicity than a conventional dose, the results show.

Imaging after 1 week of treatment with pembrolizumab may help identify treatment responses in patients with metastatic melanoma.

A new study has shown that delays in diagnosis of melanoma in Europe due to COVID-19 lockdowns may have contributed to the loss of more than 100,000 life-years and costs that exceed £6 billion, mostly related to loss of productivity.

As the first cellular and tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy product to be approved by the FDA for patients with solid tumors, lifileucel (Amtagvi) could usher in a paradigm shift in advanced melanoma management, thereby paving the way for several other TIL products to gain approval, according to Daniel Olson, MD.

During a Targeted Oncology™ Case-Based Roundtable™ event, Michael B. Atkins, MD, discussed what patient factors and other considerations affect the choice of immunotherapy for patients with advanced BRAF-negative melanoma. This is the first of 2 articles based on this event.

Each year, the Cancer Center Amsterdam (CCA) Foundation champions cutting-edge cancer research by funding promising proposals from CCA researchers. This ‘seed-funding’ empowers CCA scientists to pursue innovative research directions in support of our goal to cure cancer.

Patients with stage II or III cutaneous melanoma had significantly decreased life expectancy (LE) compared to people in the general population, according to study results published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Imagine finding out that your battle with melanoma, a formidable foe, might not be over with just one victory.

An oncology nurse and pharmacist discuss the multidisciplinary approach to administering TIL therapy in patients with advanced melanoma.

A transmembrane glycoprotein known as tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1) has been identified as a potential target for a CAR T-cell therapy that treats melanoma.

HCPs online celebrated the approval of lifileucel for advanced melanoma.

Age-related changes that cause the skin to stiffen and become less elastic may also contribute to higher rates of metastatic skin cancer in older people, according to research by investigators from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

Being a current smoker at the time of a clinical stage I and II primary cutaneous melanoma diagnosis was associated with an increased risk for melanoma-associated death compared with never smoking and former smoking, according to study results published in JAMA Network Open.

It is a promising time for cellular therapy, and combinations with gene modification or other systemic or local therapies bode well for solid tumor development of this TIL therapy platform.

In a study reported in The Lancet Oncology, De Angelis et al estimated the numbers of patients alive after a cancer diagnosis in Europe as of 2020.

During a Targeted Oncology™ Case-Based Roundtable™ event, Michael B. Atkins, MD, discussed dosing considerations and toxicity when choosing combination treatment for patients with melanoma. This is the second of 2 articles based on this event.

SAN DIEGO — According to data from the American Cancer Society (ACS), cutaneous melanoma was the fifth most common cancer in 2023, with an estimated 97,610 new cases and 7,990 deaths, following cancer of the colorectal area, lung and bronchus, prostate, and breast.

Patients with clinically localized primary cutaneous melanoma who smoked cigarettes at the time of diagnosis had an increased risk of melanoma-associated mortality, a cohort study showed.

A team of dermatology physician assistants recently reviewed the current and future potential of genomic testing in the realm of dermatology.

Through an analysis of tumor samples collected over time from patients with advanced melanoma, a Ludwig Cancer Research study has identified a set of preexisting conditions in tumors that predict whether such patients are likely to respond to a personalized immunotherapy known as adoptive T-cell therapy (ACT) using tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL)

February 7, 2024—Scientists at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health are peering deep inside lymph nodes to learn more about how cancer cells spread—and whether we may someday be able to halt metastasis through dietary modifications.

Patients with melanoma who smoke had an increased risk for melanoma-associated death.

A cannabis extract has shown positive results in slowing down melanoma cell growth and increasing cell death rates, a new in-vitro study finds.

Javid Moslehi, MD, presents Case 2, highlighting a 63-year-old female patient with metastatic melanoma on dual immunotherapy, illustrating treatment-related myocarditis and emphasizing key aspects of immunotherapy-induced cardiac toxicities.

Javid Moslehi, MD, shares expert perspectives on the diagnosis and management of immunotherapy-related myocarditis.

During a Targeted Oncology™ Case-Based Roundtable™ event, Evan J. Lipson, MD, and participants discussed tolerability factors that could influence the choice of frontline immunotherapy regimen for a patient with metastatic melanoma.

In a recent study published by Nature Communications, researchers uncovered a previously unknown method by which androgen-activated androgen receptors (ARs) increase fucosyltransferase 4 (FUT4) expression, which promotes melanoma invasiveness by interfering with adherens junctions (AJs).

Preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma has emerged as a target for treatment development in multiple solid tumors.

A recent study published in JAMA Network Open has unveiled a critical connection between smoking and the mortality rates associated with early-stage melanoma.

SECAUCUS, N.J., and SAN DIEGO, Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the nation’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced the launch of MelaNodal Predict™, a highly advanced predictive gene expression test to help personalize treatment decisions for patients with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer and one of the most common cancers in the United States.

A single-institution, retrospective cohort study evaluates knowledge gaps in clinical data on Black patients with melanoma.

In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Varey et al developed the Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) calculator for predicting recurrence-free and overall survival in stage II melanoma and found that it outperformed modeling based on American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)-8th edition melanoma staging.

Adjuvant nivolumab (Opdivo) continued to significantly improve relapse-free survival (RFS) over ipilimumab (Yervoy) in patients with resected stage III or IV melanoma, according to 7-year minimum follow-up efficacy data from the phase 3 CheckMate 238 study (NCT02388906) presented at the 2023 ESMO Congress.

A newly identified genetic marker could potentially predict which patients are likely to respond to immunotherapy in cancer types that have lacked such tools until now, according to a study published in Cancer Immunology Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

In a recent study published in EClinicalMedicine, a group of researchers assessed the change in overall survival (OS) among advanced melanoma patients diagnosed between 2013 and 2021.

It is important to study the safety of targeted therapies in populations at increased risk of skin cancer, according to the researchers.

Paul D. Nathan, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, discusses the clinical significance of updated data on tebentafusp in metastatic uveal melanoma.

The test may help patients with melanoma safely avoid a sentinel lymph node biopsy.

Dr. Inderjit Mehmi and Dr. Omid Hamid from the Angeles Clinic, explain how therapies like targeted therapies, immunotherapy and T-cell therapies are improving outcomes for patients with advanced melanoma.

According to results from a retrospective cohort study, antibiotic exposure within 60 days prior to initiation of immune checkpoint blockade was associated with worse progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) results among patients with treatment-naïve cutaneous or mucosal melanoma when compared with antibiotic exposure after initiation of immune checkpoint blockade.

Moderna and Merck have initiated V940-001, a phase 3 study evaluating vaccine mRNA-4157 and anti-PD-1 therapy Keytruda as postsurgical treatment for stage 2B to 4 melanoma.

A group of oncology experts provide forward-looking perspectives and clinical insights in the treatment of melanoma.

Scientists at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have built and demonstrated the potential efficacy of a new chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell-based immunotherapy specifically designed to treat patients with cutaneous and rare subtypes of melanoma.

Researchers have revealed unprecedented insights into CD4+ T cells, a type of immune cell, which show promise for immunotherapies against melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancer

Almost 90% of white men and 85% of white women who received a diagnosis of melanoma in 2018 were likely overdiagnosed, according to a new study.

Oncologists reviewed data from clinical trials in the field of melanoma that could add clarity to treatment standards and lead to improved patient care.

Over 50% of all melanoma diagnoses among White patients in the United States may in fact be overdiagnoses, according to a recent study published by Adamson et al in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.

FDG PET/CT imaging detected metabolic changes in patients with advanced melanoma beginning immunotherapy in the first week.

CD4+ T-cells, primarily considered to play a supportive role in the anti-tumor immune response, have been seen to actively kill cancer cells in a mouse model of melanoma.

Adjuvant checkpoint inhibitor therapy is the standard of care for resectable melanoma. Although many patients derive lasting benefit from the treatment, a substantial number experience disease recurrence.

A panel of oncology experts explores the intricate balance between maintaining quality of life and managing toxicity in adjuvant immunotherapy for melanoma.

Patients with stage II or III cutaneous melanoma lost a total of 2,209 and 1,902 life-years, respectively.

Researchers have identified an epigenetic pathway involved in resistance to mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors, pointing the way to better patient treatment for resistant melanomas.

While the standard timing for imaging patients’ tumors after immunotherapy is three months, researchers found that imaging patients with melanoma after just one week of treatment illuminated metabolic changes in their tumors that corresponded with a response to the treatment and longer survival, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine

Researchers may have uncovered a novel epigenetic pathway involved in the development of treatment resistance in melanoma and a chemical reagent that may be effective in resensitizing treatment-resistant tumors to targeted therapies, according to a recent study published by Wu et al in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Afreen Shariff, MD, MBBS, examines the surveillance and management of immunotherapy-induced adrenal insufficiency in the context of melanoma, underscoring the importance of maintaining a heightened awareness for early detection.

Afreen Shariff, MD, MBBS, discusses managing immunotherapy-related diabetes in melanoma, emphasizing the critical need to detect sudden changes in blood sugar levels and advocating for a multidisciplinary approach.

A panel of expert oncologists explore novel therapies using monoclonal antibodies designed to target amyloid deposit, highlighting key data from the VITAL study.

Vd1-gd T cells, a rare type of immune cell, have been found to potentially predict how likely it is that certain patients with advanced skin cancer will be responsive to treatment via immunotherapy, according to recently published research.

The California-based DermTech has announced positive results from its Trust 2 study,tevaluating its system for ruling out melanoma showing a negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.7%.

Cutaneous melanoma is considered the deadliest form of skin cancer because it’s aggressive and tends to spread quickly through the body.

“When we talk about recurrence of melanoma, we actually worry more about what we cannot see, what’s on the inside,” Dr. Justine V. Cohen of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute told CURE®.

In an analysis reported in JAMA Oncology, Kerekes et al found that initiation of immunotherapy at the end of life has increased over time in U.S. patients with metastatic cancers.

Patricia A. Possik, PhD, assistant investigator, Division of Cellular Biology, Brazilian National Cancer Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, discusses the importance of efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in melanoma research, including how a more diverse research landscape can influence the efficacy and relevance of treatment approaches in acral lentiginous melanoma.

The promising results were presented in a poster at the 2024 Winter Clinical Hawaii Dermatology Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii.

FRIENDSWOOD, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Castle Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSTL), a company improving health through innovative tests that guide patient care, will present new data across its dermatologic portfolio of commercially available and pipeline gene expression profile (GEP) tests at the 2024 Winter Clinical Dermatology Conference – Hawaii, being held Jan. 12-17 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Patients with melanoma play a vital role in their own post-surgical care, as one expert explained to CURE®.

The initiation of immunotherapy at the end of life among patients with advanced cancers is increasing over time, according to findings from a cohort study led by investigators at the Yale School of Medicine.

The addition of a personalized mRNA vaccine to standard-of-care (SOC) pembrolizumab (Keytruda) improved survival outcomes vs pembrolizumab alone in resected high-risk melanoma, and monitoring ctDNA patterns over time can provide valuable insights into the degree of benefit patients can expect to achieve from the approach, according to Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD.

A team of melanoma researchers with the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) is honored with the 2023 Paper of the Year distinction by the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The DermaSensor device demonstrates a high rate of sensitivity in the detection of more than 200 types of skin cancers in a clinical study.

This is a video synopsis/summary of an OncLive Insights® involving Afreen Shariff, MD, MBBS; Javid Moslehi, MD; and Nikhil Khushalani, MD.

In the study led by the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute) and published in Science Immunology, the researchers found that CD4+ T cells, traditionally called ‘helper T cells’ for their role in aiding the activation of other immune cells, are remarkably effective in controlling melanoma.

PHILADELPHIA—(Dec. 13, 2023)—Wistar researchers successfully tested a simple intervention that could unlock greater anti-tumor power in therapies that use T cells — an approach known as “cell-based therapy,” which uses specially designed T cells to fight cancer. Led by Dr. Hildegund C.J. Ertl — a professor in The Wistar Institute’s Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center — the team has proven an exciting concept: that the common cholesterol drug fenofibrate can boost T cells’ ability to destroy human tumors, as described in their new paper, “Treatment with the PPAR? agonist fenofibrate improves the efficacy of CD8+ T cell therapy for melanoma,” published in Molecular Therapy Oncolytics.

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer recently published insights into the management of patients with preexisting autoimmune disease, solid organ transplant recipients, elderly individuals, those living with HIV, pregnant patients, and those with rare noncutaneous subtypes of melanoma.

The Beach Boys’ iconic hit single “Good Vibrations" takes on a whole new layer of meaning thanks to a recent discovery by Rice University scientists and collaborators, who have uncovered a way to destroy cancer cells by using the ability of some molecules to vibrate strongly when stimulated by light.

Experts discuss treatment of patients with BRAF-mutated melanoma and symptomatic brain metastases, detailing radiation therapy, corticosteroid use, and the choice between BRAF/MEK inhibitor therapy and immunotherapy.

This is a video synopsis/summary of an OncLive Insights® discussion involving Afreen Shariff, MD, MBBS; Javid Moslehi, MD; and Nikhil Khushalani, MD.

Last year Emily Hayes received a phone call that made her think her life was over.

As 2023 comes to a close, Dermatology Times is taking a look back at the studies, therapies, and advances in vitiligo this year.

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) has issued an expanded clinical practice guideline for the use of immunotherapy in patients with melanoma. The updated guideline was published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.

A new study that corrects the underreporting of cancer among American Indian/Alaska Native populations shows the non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native population, known as AI/AN, has the second highest incidence of melanoma.

The different variants of pediatric melanoma result in a wide array of presentations and disease outcomes, with the highest overall survival and recurrence rates associated with in-situ melanoma, according to study findings published in the Journal of American Academic Dermatology.

An overview of treatments for metastatic melanoma, including data updates regarding combination options.

Michael B Atkins, MD, shares insights on the prognosis of patient’s diagnosed with advanced melanoma and discusses the value of BRAF mutation testing.

Researchers from King’s College London, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital Trust, and the Francis Crick Institute have discovered a rare type of T immune cell that can help predict whether a patient with advanced skin cancer may benefit from immunotherapy treatments.

Dr Atkins discusses current unmet needs in the treatment landscape for metastatic melanoma and provides an overview of some of the treatments currently under investigation that show promise.

The panel concludes their discussion with a call for continued research and collaboration, emphasizing the need for more understanding of targeted therapies, monitoring tools like ctDNA, and ongoing development in the field of BRAF mutant melanoma treatment.

Results from a long-term analysis of the phase 3 IMCgp100-202 trial indicate that tebentafusp results in better disease control and long-lasting responses in those with HLA-A*02:01–positive, previously untreated metastatic uveal melanoma.

PET/CT scans have the potential to predict brain metastasis in melanoma patients, according to a study published December 26 in Cancers.

More and more people living with cancer are being prescribed immunotherapy as an effective treatment option.

Nikhil Khushalani, MD, explores the significance of biomarker testing in melanoma, emphasizing the pivotal role of BRAF in understanding and managing this type of skin cancer.

Lifileucel demonstrated clinically meaningful antitumor activity alongside early, durable responses in patients with advanced melanoma following progression on checkpoint inhibitors.

Intravenous and intratumoral treatment with TILT-123 was found to be safe and feasible, with no dose-limiting toxicities when given alone or in combination with tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy in patients with advanced, metastatic melanoma, according to data from a phase 1 trial (NCT04217473) presented at the 2023 ESMO Immuno-Oncology Annual Congress.

Michael B Atkins, MD, discusses first-line treatment options for a patient with stage IV BRAF-mutated melanoma. He also reviews data that may help guide treatment and sequencing decisions for patients with metastatic melanoma.

Michael B Atkins, MD, discusses first-line treatment options for a patient with stage IV BRAF-mutated melanoma. He also reviews data that may help guide treatment and sequencing decisions for patients with metastatic melanoma.

Beyond symptoms, doctors consider the psychosocial factors impacting treatment access and adherence, like insurance coverage, cost, family support, and preexisting conditions, when deciding between immunotherapy and targeted therapy for patients with BRAF-mutated metastatic melanoma.

Experts discuss a preference for ipilimumab/nivolumab as the frontline immunotherapy for patients with BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma given its proven long-term efficacy but acknowledge nivolumab/relatlimab as an option with less toxicity, especially adrenal insufficiency.

Adolescents with a family history were more likely to be diagnosed with melanoma than controls (P < .046).

With artificial intelligence taking front and center in many aspects of our lives, will it be more prevalent in the dermatology practice than it is now?

New treatments can come with high price tags, and a population-based, retrospective study revealed that fewer than 25% of patients with cancer have a documented conversation about the financial aspects of their treatment.

Dr Rajiv Saxena and Dr Sushreesangita Behera from the Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, South Asian University, New Delhi and Dr Witty Tyagi, from the Molecular Oncology Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, have investigated whether nanodiamonds could stop tumour metastasis.

Patients with regressive melanoma had favorable relapse-free rates (HR = 0.52).

TAMPA, Fla. — Checkpoint inhibitors that activate the immune system to target cancer cells for destruction have revolutionized the treatment landscape for patients with advanced melanoma, leading to more options and improved patient survival.

Investigators used LIMS to classify melanoma samples as tumors and non-tumors.

Key opinion leaders explain that clinicians should warn patients with BRAF-mutated metastatic melanoma starting BRAF/MEK inhibitor therapy about short-term toxicities like fever, chills, and rash that can differ greatly from immunotherapy toxicities.

The study authors note that stress conditions result in an increased activity of the protein HDAC8, which promotes melanoma cell survival.

Checkpoint inhibitors that activate the immune system to target cancer cells for destruction have revolutionized the treatment landscape for patients with advanced melanoma, leading to more options and improved patient survival. Despite the approval of several immune checkpoint inhibitor regimens for melanoma, scientists do not completely understand their anticancer effects.

(Nanowerk News) A team of researchers based at the University of Toronto’s (U of T) Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy has discovered a novel ionizable lipid nanoparticle that enables muscle-focused mRNA delivery while minimizing off-target delivery to other tissues.

Reducing how often patients receive immune checkpoint inhibitors can dramatically reduce medical costs while allowing patients to remain on lifesaving drugs, according to a recent study from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.

The study authors note that low skin cancer screening (SCS) participation, the participants’ better health than nonparticipants, and examination biases may be contributing factors to the insignificant results.

S. Weber, MD, PhD, deputy director, codirector, the Melanoma Research Program, NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center, Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Professor of Oncology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, discusses findings from the phase 2b mRNA-4157-P201/KEYNOTE-942 trial (NCT03897881) of mRNA-4157 (V940) in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in resected high-risk melanoma.

John Michael Kaczmar, MD, medical oncologist, associate professor, College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), MUSC Health, discusses future implications forthe use of fianlimab (formerly REGN 3767) in combination with cemiplimab-rwlc (Libtayo) for the treatment of patients with advanced melanoma.

In an analysis presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023 (Abstract LBA50) and reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Jessica C. Hassel, MD, and colleagues, overall survival at 3 years in the phase III IMCgp100-202 trial continued to favor tebentafusp-tebn over investigator’s choice of treatment in previously untreated patients with HLA-A*02:01–positive unresectable or metastatic uveal melanoma.

Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) is emerging as a blood-based biomarker for many solid tumour types, including melanoma. Researchers at The University of Queensland (UQ) have now assessed ctDNA in the blood of patients with BRAF wild-type (BRAF WT) stage III and IV melanoma, finding that measuring ctDNA may lead to alternative treatment options and better outcomes.

The role of immunotherapy continues to evolve for the treatment of patients with skin cancer, now with physicians able to choose between the use of single-agent vs dual immunotherapy treatments.

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands and SAN DIEGO, Nov. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — SkylineDx, an innovative molecular diagnostics company, is pleased to announce the forthcoming presentation of an impactful poster by Dr M.E. Egger at the upcoming Society for Melanoma Research Congress in Philadelphia. Dr. M.E.

Ze’ev Ronai, PhD, discusses key advancements in the treatment of patients with melanoma, including the discovery of NRAS and BRAF mutations, as well as the development of immunotherapy approaches.

During a Targeted Oncology™ Case-Based Roundtable™ event, Hussein A. Tawbi, MD, PhD, asked several participants to share their experiences treating patients with metastatic melanoma with nivolumab plus relatlimab. This is the second of 2 articles based on this event.

Pediatric and adolescent boys with primary invasive cutaneous melanoma present with more aggressive pathologic features that carry an increased risk for mortality compared with pediatric and adolescent girls, according to study results published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.’

Paul D. Nathan, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, consultant medical oncologist, Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, discusses the 3-year survival data from the phase 3 IMCgp100-202 trial (NCT03070392) of tebentafusp-tebn (Kimmtrak) in patients with previously untreated, HLA-A*02:01–positive metastatic uveal melanoma.

An expert reflects on the recent FDA approval of adjuvant Opdivo for patients with stage 2B or 2C melanoma.

When a patient with metastatic melanoma patient tests negative for the BRAF V600E mutation, doctors recommend sending the sample for next-generation sequencing testing which can take 2-3 weeks, during which time they may start immunotherapy if the patient has aggressive disease, but ideally should wait for results to guide treatment.

Expert panelists stress the importance of biomarker testing for BRAF mutations to guide treatment options when a patient is diagnosed with metastatic melanoma.

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands and SAN DIEGO, Oct. 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — SkylineDx an innovative diagnostics company focused on research & development of molecular diagnostics for oncology and inflammatory diseases, proudly announces the successful clinical validation and implementation of the clinicopathologic and gene expression profile (CP-GEP) model in a multicenter Dutch study focused on patients with melanoma.

A paper saw light in Current Issues in Molecular Biology.

The overall quality of care index (QCI) scores for patients with malignant melanoma improved globally from 1990 to 2019, although all-age disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) increased in the same period.

The suitability of NK cells for cancer therapy has been challenged by some investor and business interests because of limited efficacy data, but is this belief at the present stage of development of the immune therapy field?

Like most people, Gillian Mazy wasn’t excited about the prospect of having a chunk of skin on her face cut out and checked for cancer.

Pathologists specializing in dermatopathology tended to give higher-grade diagnoses vs. those without training (OR = 2.63).

Elizabeth Buchbinder, MD, assistant professor, Medicine, Harvard Medical School, senior physician, Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the investigation of treatment with nivolumab (Opdivo) maintenance therapy in patients with melanoma who experienced severe immune-related adverse effects (irAEs) associated with combination therapy with nivolumab and ipilimumab (Yervoy).

The panelists emphasize the importance of obtaining tissue for BRAF-mutation testing and dedicated tissue tracking in patients with metastatic melanoma, with immunohistochemistry followed by confirmatory next-generation sequencing, and discuss the promise of liquid biopsies like ctDNA as a future biomarker tracking modality.

Omid Hamid, MD, director, Melanoma Program, The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai, discusses the rationale for a phase 1 trial of fianlimab plus cemiplimab in patients with advanced melanoma who have received prior adjuvant PD-1 inhibitors.

Newswise — TAMPA, Fla. — Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer because of its ability to quickly grow and spread throughout the body.

FRIDAY, Oct. 13, 2023 (HealthDay News) — The ability to detect skin cancer using artificial intelligence (AI) software has rapidly improved.

A new, bio-inspired drug restores the effectiveness of immune cells in fighting cancer, a team led by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin has found. In mouse models of melanoma, bladder cancer, leukemia and colon cancer, the drug slows the growth of tumors, extends lifespan and boosts the efficacy of immunotherapy.

In this Healio Video Perspective, Carol Shields, MD, discusses data investigating Fitzpatrick skin type and uveal melanoma presented at the Retina Society meeting.

During a Targeted Oncology™ Case-Based Roundtable™ event, Hussein A. Tawbi, MD, PhD, and participants discussed which first-line therapy they would recommend for a 78-year-old patient with metastatic melanoma and no BRAF-activating mutation. This is the first of 2 articles based on this event.

A new, bio-inspired drug restores the effectiveness of immune cells in fighting cancer, a team led by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin has found. In mouse models of melanoma, bladder cancer, leukemia and colon cancer, the drug slows the growth of tumors, extends lifespan and boosts the efficacy of immunotherapy.

Hussein Tawbi, MD, PhD, presents the case of a 78-year-old man with metastatic melanoma and shares his initial impressions.

Patients diagnosed with melanoma in 2020 presented with thicker, more ulcerated, and more advanced tumors despite reduced treatment delays, according to study results published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

During a recent Institute for Value-Based Medicine® event, speakers discussed the use of immunotherapy and targeted therapy to treat melanoma and managing the toxicities of these treatments.

Pembrolizumab and mRNA-4157 demonstrated improvements in subgroups of resected melanoma, including those with BRAF-mutated tumors, in the phase 2 KEYNOTE-942 trial.

Results presented at 2023 ESMO showed a prolonged survival benefit in patients receiving adjuvant cemiplimab for stage II-IV cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Antitumour responses were consistent with those previously reported for a broader population of patients with advanced melanoma

Danielle K. DePalo, MD, explains the lack of research directly comparing first-line treatment options for patients with unresectable melanoma in-transit metastases, expands on the safety and efficacy of 3 treatment modalities for these patients, and underscores the need for more data to inform the management of these patients.

Hussein Tawbi, MD, PhD, highlights the importance of BRAF mutations and LDH levels in diagnosing patients with metastatic melanoma and guiding treatment.

Among patients with invasive melanoma, improvements in overall survival (OS) rates due to the adoption of immunotherapy and targeted systemic therapies are further associated with greater economic and time burdens on the health care system, according to study results published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Dermatology.

Coverage from the Institute for Value-Based Medicine session with Minnesota Oncology.

The individualized neoantigen therapy mRNA-4157 (V940), combined with pembrolizumab (Keytruda), improved relapse-free survival (RFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) compared with pembrolizumab alone in patients with high-risk resected melanoma, according to findings from the phase 2 KEYNOTE-942 trial (NCT03897881) presented at the 2023 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress (ESMO).

While access to invasive melanoma health care is fairly equitable across Queensland, people in regional areas are relying more on public hospitals for treatment rather than GPs or skin cancer specialists.

In a recent review published in the Life Journal, a group of authors reviewed image-processing techniques in machine learning (ML) for skin cancer detection using clinical images, evaluating their efficacy, available datasets, and challenges.

In comparing the period between 2007 and 2012 with 2018 and 2019, systemic therapy cost increased sixfold to ninefold.

During a Targeted Oncology™ Case-Based Roundtable™ event, April K.S. Salama, MD, and other physicians discussed which patients are more challenging when it comes to tolerating dual immunotherapy as frontline therapy for metastatic melanoma.

Inderjit Mehmi, MD, medical oncologist, Cedars-Sinai The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, discusses the rationale for investigating the combination of fianlimab (REGN3767) and cemiplimab (Libtayo) in patients who have advanced melanoma with poor-risk features.

When Susanne Gabrielsson first learned about exosomes, her eyes widened. In 1999, she’d just started a postdoctoral fellowship at the Curie Institute in Paris.

Cutaneous immune-related adverse events (cirAEs) were associated with improved overall survival (HR = 0.61).

A recent eBioMedicine study found key risk factors associated with the development of melanoma in children and adolescents.

There is a high certainty of evidence that patients with CDKN2A mutation and a moderate or high nevus count had significantly increased risk for multiple primary melanomas, according to study results published in the British Journal of Dermatology.

Meredith McKean, MD, MPH, the associate director of the Sarah Cannon Research Institute’s Melanoma and Skin Cancer Research Program at Tennessee Oncology, discussed new melanoma studies and treatment developments.

Gut microbiome analysis found differences in those with early- and late-stage melanoma compared with controls.

Multiple variables impact prostate and breast cancer incidence, including genetic heredity as well as environmental and societal influences.

Doctors can often identify signs of a melanoma through a visual examination of a patient’s skin, by using a dermoscope or other tools.

Doctors can often identify signs of a melanoma through a visual examination of a patient’s skin, by using a dermoscope or other tools. But additional information is sometimes needed to make a precise diagnosis, according to SciBase, a medical tech company based in Stockholm, Sweden—which has developed a device it says provides exactly that.

During a Targeted Oncology™ Case-Based Roundtable™ event, Michael B. Atkins, MD, discussed with participants what factors influence the choice of first-line immunotherapy for a patient with BRAF–wild-type metastatic melanoma.

Psoriasis increases the risk of cutaneous melanoma, according to the findings of a new study.

Hussein Tawbi, MD, PhD, presents the case of a 78-year-old man with metastatic melanoma and shares his initial impressions.

Lisa A. Kottschade, RN, CNP, FAPO, discussed immune-related adverse events, which she presented on at The American Journal of Managed Care®’s Institute for Value-Based Medicine® event hosted by Minnesota Oncology in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on September 12. Kottschade, who is primarily interested in malignant melanoma treatment, also discussed the use of biomarkers.

The AES Mid-Career Award recognizes exceptional contributions to the field of electrophoresis, microfluidics, and related areas by an individual who is currently in the middle of their career. This year’s recipient, Robbyn K. Anand, Suresh Faculty Fellow and Carlyle G.

Patients with stage 4 melanoma experience more time toxicity, as they are expected to attend more in-person doctor visits for optimal survival, according to an expert.

The microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) is the master regulator of pigment cell development and, as a lineage survival oncogene, plays a crucial role in the skin cancer melanoma and its resistance to therapy.

Researchers from The University of Queensland and The Alfred hospital in Melbourne have identified gene variants which may contribute to people being at higher risk for nodular melanoma.

A new study has revealed why hair loss is associated with increased rates of skin cancer.

Higher health care costs were found to affect patients with stages 2 to 4 melanoma, according to a recent study.

Researchers from The University of Queensland and The Alfred hospital in Melbourne have identified gene variants which may contribute to people being at higher risk for nodular melanoma.

A multicenter Phase II clinical trial showed that combination immunotherapy drug therapy with ipilimumab (an anti-CTLA-4 drug) and nivolumab (an anti-PD-1 therapy) is an effective second-line therapy for patients with melanoma that has progressed on PD-1 inhibitors alone.

Alexander I. Spira, MD, PhD, FACP, co-director, Virginia Cancer Specialists Research Institute, director, Thoracic and Phase I Program, clinical assistant professor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, discusses the evaluation of the LAG-3 inhibitor fianlimab plus cemiplimab-rwlc (Libtayo) in patients with advanced melanoma who were PD-L1 inhibitor–naïve, as seen in the findings from a phase 1 study (NCT03005782).

Fewer patients were diagnosed with melanoma in 2020 compared with all previous years from 2012 to 2019.

The phase 2 SWOG S1801 trial showed a 42% reduction in 2-year event-free survival for neoadjuvant-adjuvant vs adjuvant-only pembrolizumab for resectable stage IIIB-D/IV melanoma.

Varun Monga, MD, clinical associate professor, internal medicine, hematology, oncology, and blood and marrow transplantation, University of Iowa, discusses the background for investigating the protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) brain-penetrant inhibitor PRT811 in a phase 1 study (NCT04089449) in patients with recurrent high-grade glioma or uveal melanoma, as well as the agent’s mechanism of action.

In a retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, Goodman et al found that patients receiving adjuvant PD-1 inhibitor therapy for high-risk resected melanoma often had chronic immune-related adverse events, with some persisting over long-term follow-up.

Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) is not a significant risk factor for melanoma or nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC), according to study results published in the Archives of Dermatological Research.

Nearly two-thirds of patients experienced acute immune-related adverse events.

In a paper appearing in JAMA Dermatology, investigators at the University of Texas MD Anderson

Nicholas Coupe, MBBS, PhD, oncologist, Oxford University Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust, discusses the rationale for investigating IMM60 with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in patients with advanced melanoma or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as key background information that led to this investigation.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that 97,610 people will be diagnosed with melanoma in 2023, making up 5% of all new cancer diagnoses. Fortunately, screening and treatment have improved, allowing care teams to catch melanoma earlier when it’s easier to treat. As a result, the number of people who survive the disease has steadily increased.

A new study led by McGill University examines why people living in Atlantic regions are more at-risk for developing melanoma than other Canadians, providing lessons on skin cancer prevention for the whole country.

Investigators in Canada may have uncovered the factors contributing to the higher risk of melanoma among individuals living in Atlantic regions, according to a recent study published by Lagacé et al in Cancers. These findings may provide insights into effective strategies for skin cancer prevention.

This new research was prospectively gathered in Denmark and involved nationwide, population-based data as well as a uniform approach to melanoma treatment and surveillance.

Endocrine toxic effects were more likely than nonendocrine to become chronic and continue at last follow-up.

Osaka, Japan – Malignant melanoma is a type of skin cancer that originates from melanocytes or nevi, causing about 80% of skin cancer-related deaths. While some cases have shown significant response to existing molecular targeted therapies, as well as immune checkpoint inhibitors, there are also instances in which these treatments have proven ineffective.

Melanoma cases were almost 10 times higher in high Human Development Index countries than in low.

Meredith McKean, MD, MPH, discusses the rationale for investigating the LAG-3 inhibitor fianlimab in combination with cemiplimab-rwlc in patients with advanced melanoma, highlighting the combination’s efficacy in both PD-1 inhibitor-exposed and –naïve populations, as well as the combinations its potential clinical significance within the advanced melanoma space.

A pair of new studies documents initial drops—and, in some cases, rebounds—in cancer diagnoses in Canada and the United States in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Researchers at St George’s, University of London have discovered a technique that can kill skin cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy cells. The findings are published in the journal Biology Open.

Second-line end points of the TRICOTEL trial assessing atezolizumab plus vemurafenib and cobimetinib in melanoma with central nervous system metastases appear consistent with primary efficacy end points.

About The Study: Researchers identified decreases of in situ and invasive melanoma diagnoses during 2020, which may reflect decreased skin cancer screening examinations or access to dermatologic care during the pandemic, both of which may lead to reduced melanoma diagnoses.

A collaborative study led by IRB Barcelona, Navarrabiomed and the Institute of Neurosciences CSIC-UMH shows that the administration of ranolazine, a drug currently used to treat heart conditions, improves the efficacy of current therapies for melanoma in mouse models of the disease.

Fecal microbiota profiles were significantly different between patients with melanoma and controls, and between patients with early-stage and late-stage melanoma, according to study results published in JAMA Dermatology.

Precision therapies, although effective in earlier stages, may not work later.

Sunscreen allergies in children “are rare cases. The real danger is sunburn: 5 episodes under the age of 20 increase the possibility of developing melanoma or other skin tumors by up to 80%.

While the linkage between squamous cell cancers and genital lichen sclerosus has been well-established, fewer studies have examined the associations between penile melanomas in males

The natural killer (NK) T-cell agonist IMM60 may overcome resistance to PD-1 inhibitors when combined with immunotherapy in patients with melanoma and non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to Nicholas Coupe, MBBS, PhD, who emphasized the tolerable safety profile seen so far with this combination.

Patients with the DecisionDx-Melanoma 31-gene expression profile test had a 29% lower melanoma-specific survival mortality.

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) demonstrated long-term survival benefit compared with ipilimumab (Yervoy) in patients with unresectable stage III/IV melanoma who received up to 1 prior systemic therapy, according to 7-year follow-up data from the phase 3 KEYNOTE-006 (NCT01866319) trial, which included some patients who transitioned to the phase 3 KEYNOTE-587 (NCT03486873) extension study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

During a Targeted Oncology™ Case-Based Roundtable™ event, April K.S. Salama, MD, discussed treatment approaches for a 78-year-old patient with metastatic melanoma discovered 12 years after surgical resection.

Inderjit Mehmi, MD, discusses results from a subgroup analysis of patients with advanced melanoma and poor-risk features given fianlimab and cemiplimab in a phase 1 trial.

According to study authors, this electrical communication between skin cells may have the potential for therapeutic implications.

A new study led by McGill University examines why people living in Atlantic regions are more at-risk for developing melanoma than other Canadians, providing lessons on skin cancer prevention for the whole country.

Patients with advanced melanoma receiving nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab as first-line treatment experience longer treatment-free survival than those receiving nivolumab or pembrolizumab monotherapy, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

Researchers found significant difference in survival rates between lentigo maligna melanoma, nodular malignant melanoma, and superficial spreading melanoma.

Out of 60,680 patients with skin of color, eight were diagnosed with melanoma, with two considered high risk.

Histologic margin status is a predictor of lentigo maligna melanoma progression.

In part 2 of a phase III trial (COLUMBUS) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Paolo A. Ascierto, MD, and colleagues found evidence that MEK inhibition contributed to positive outcomes with combination BRAF/MEK inhibitor therapy in advanced BRAF V600–mutant melanoma.

Melanoma Canada is aiming to educate beachgoers about the staggering statistics surrounding its namesake disease with a new playful campaign that carries a sobering message: “There’s no such thing as a safe tan.”

Using the 31-gene expression profile assay may help lead to more personalized treatment strategies in patients with cutaneous melanoma, according to Aaron Farberg, MD.

Adding binimetinib to treatment with encorafenib improves efficacy in patients with BRAFV600-mutant melanoma, according to trial results published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

In a new study appearing in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, researchers from the University of

Chronic immunotherapy-related complications are more prevalent and persistent than previously shown among melanoma survivors, according to new research published Aug. 3 in JAMA Network Open.

Conjunctival melanoma is an uncommon but aggressive ocular malignancy with high potential for metastasis, reported at 25% at 10 years and more than 30% at 15 years.

PHILADELPHIA – The transfer of a neurotransmitter from one type of skin cell to another (melanocytes to keratinocytes) altered electrical activity and promoted melanoma initiation in preclinical models, according to results published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Researchers found an increase in patients with melanoma who experience chronic immune-related adverse effects at 18 months compared to a previous study with a follow-up point of 6 months.

Findings may have therapeutic implications because of the potential to target neurotransmitters to treat or prevent melanoma.

Patients with resectable melanoma who received T-VEC prior to surgery achieved better 5-year OS than those who underwent surgery alone.

A collaborative study undertaken by the Navarrabiomed Biomedical Research Center (Pamplona, Navarre), the Institute of Neurosciences CSIC-UMH (Sant Joan d’Alacant, Valencian Community) and IRB Barcelona (Barcelona, Catalonia) shows that the administration of ranolazine, a drug currently used to treat heart conditions, improves the efficacy of current therapies for melanoma, in mouse models of this disease.

BUFFALO, NY- July 19, 2023 – A new editorial paper was published in Oncotarget’s Volume 14 on May 26, 2023, entitled, “Combined targeting of HEDGEHOG signaling and BRD4 as a novel therapeutic option against melanoma.”

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, associate director. the Melanoma Program, Massachusetts General Cancer, discusses the early reduction of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma treated with tebentafusp-tebn (Kimmtrak) and shares how these reductions could correlate with longer overall survival (OS) in patients with a best response of stable disease.

Advancements have been made over the last decade in the use of immunotherapy for the treatment of skin cancers including melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma.

Significant detection of low-risk melanoma in situ (MIS) among health-seeking individuals may help those who become diagnosed with low-risk MIS to live longer than those in the general population without history of MIS, according to study findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Dermatology.

New York, NY(July 27, 2023)-Investigators at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have designed an innovative RNA-based strategy to activate dendritic cells—which play a key role in immune response—that eradicated tumors and prevented their recurrence in mouse models of melanoma.

Newswise — Immune-checkpoint inhibitors have become the standard of care for patients with advanced melanoma to improve survival, but only some patients respond to this immunotherapy and have long-term benefits.

Sarah Weiss, MD, discusses the ongoing phase 2/3 TEBE-AM trial of tebentafusp with or without pembrolizumab in a subset of pretreated patients with non-uveal melanoma.

Illustration of the closing of the cancer-immunity cycle by integrating lipid nanoparticle-mRNA formulations and cell therapy (CATCH). Credit: Dong et al., Nature Nanotechnology

A recent study documented the benefits of maintaining normal vitamin D levels for patients with inoperable, locally advanced or metastatic melanoma receiving anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

Elizabeth Buchbinder, MD, assistant professor, Medicine, Harvard Medical School, senior physician, Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the rationale for investigating nivolumab (Opdivo) maintenance therapy in patients with melanoma who experienced severe immune-related adverse effects (irAEs) due to combination therapy with nivolumab and ipilimumab (Yervoy), and details the findings of this investigation.

In separate live, virtual events, Hussein A. Tawbi, MD, PhD; and Allison Betof Warner, MD, PhD, discuss potential treatment options for a patient with BRAF mutation–negative melanoma.

The final phase of clinical trials of Moderna’s V940 anti-melanoma vaccine is underway, in combination with Merck’s Keytruda immunotherapy.

It’s a Thursday morning in July and Lauren Rothwell ’26 sits in one of Bryant’s research labs concentrating on a row of vials. Hovering a pipette over the third glass tube, she is busy setting up glycerol stocks to freeze bacteria.

In ethnic and racial minority populations, more than 12,000 standard skin cancer screenings would be done to identify 1 case of melanoma, according to a recent study.

Study finds that use of mHealth app could be useful in early detection of skin cancer but cautions that overdiagnosis is a possibility.

During a Targeted Oncology™ Case-Based Roundtable™ event, Evan J. Lipson, MD, and participants discussed when they would use monotherapy or doublet therapy in metastatic melanoma.

In a world-first clinical trial published in the journal Nature Medicine, a multi-centre study from Lawson Health Research Institute, the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) and the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) has found fecal microbiota transplants (FMT) from healthy donors are safe and show promise in improving response to immunotherapy in patients with advanced melanoma.

The benefit of nivolumab/ipilimumab plus single-agent nivolumab for unresectable advanced melanoma with poor prognostic characteristics was comparable in all-comers and patients with brain metastases.

Cancer of the skin is by far the most common of all cancers. Melanoma accounts for only about 1% of skin cancers but causes a large majority of skin cancer deaths.

Varun Monga, MBBS, discusses the mechanism of action of PRT811, key efficacy and safety findings from a phase 1 trial investigating the agent, and potential future directions with this agent in uveal melanoma and IDH-mutant high-grade glioma.

A new study identified the elements that could determine the overall survival of patients with the metastatic eye tumor, uveal melanoma.

WASHINGTON, July 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA), the largest non-profit funder of melanoma research, today announced that the RARE Registry for acral and mucosal melanoma has officially surpassed 100 patients, making it the largest registry of its kind in the world and marking an important milestone in advancing cutting-edge research for these rare and difficult-to-treat melanoma subtypes.

Melanocytes are a small subset of epidermal cells that play an outsize role in protecting your skin from the damaging effects of sun exposure.

Exarafenib, a pan-RAF inhibitor being investigated as a monotherapy in BRAF and NRAS-driven solid tumors by Kinnate Biopharma, was well-tolerated and demonstrated early signs of activity with durable responses in various patient populations, including those with BRAF Class II and NRAS-mutant melanoma, according to early Phase I trial results.

The DecisionDx-Melanoma 31-gene expression profile test displayed the capability to stratify patients with cutaneous melanoma by risk of death from the disease and receival of the 31-GEP test may result in a survival benefit compared with untested patients.

This transcript has been edited for clarity. For more episodes, download the Medscape app or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast provider.

Treating advanced melanoma with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can be safe and effective in patients with concomitant chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to a study published in Annals of Oncology.

During a Targeted Oncology™ Case-Based Roundtable™ event, Sajeve S. Thomas, MD, discussed key trials of immunotherapy in terms of safety and efficacy for patients with metastatic melanoma.

What are the implications of new approvals for oncology nurses specializing in melanoma?

Vitamin D insufficiency was found to be weakly linked to an increased incidence of cutaneous melanoma (CM), and lower vitamin D levels were associated with a less favorable Breslow tumor depth, according to authors of a systematic review and meta-analysis published in Melanoma Research.

According to an analysis of Medicare fee-for- service beneficiaries treated with chemotherapy between 2010 and 2017, the speed at which immunotherapy is adopted by oncology practices depends on their size, location, and affiliation (rural or urban, independent or health system–affiliated, academic or nonacademic, smaller or larger [1 to 5 physicians vs 6 or more]).

An expert gives an overview of the treatment options for uveal melanoma, and why he considers hope to be an essential part of the care plan.

Scientists at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified potential new biomarkers that could indicate how someone diagnosed with metastatic melanoma will respond to immunotherapy treatment.

Scientists at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified potential new biomarkers that could indicate how someone diagnosed with metastatic melanoma will respond to immunotherapy treatment.

Memory killer cells have been shown to respond to immunotherapy, which is normally administered as a complement to other cancer treatments.

The microRNA member miR-204-5p inhibits apoptosis in melanoma cells treated with dacarbazine or when overexpressed.

Vanderbilt investigators have revealed the mechanisms by which the chemokine receptor CXCR2, is associated with melanoma tumor formation and growth — a discovery that supports the continued development of drugs that inhibit the receptor’s activity.

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) led to sustained improvements in recurrence-free survival (RFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) vs placebo as adjuvant therapy in patients with resected stage IIB or IIC melanoma, according to updated data from the phase 3 KEYNOTE-716 trial (NCT03553836) presented at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting.

In season 4, episode 9 of Targeted Talks, Kerry Reynolds, MD, clinical director, inpatient oncology units, director, Severe Immunotherapy Complications Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses the occurrence of myocarditis in patients with cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Incorporating a personalized mRNA vaccine, designed to match an individual’s tumor genetics, into standard immunotherapy substantially boosts survival rates and reduces the recurrence of high-risk skin cancers in patients who have had these malignancies removed

New research from Sanford Burnham Prebys has helped explain how melanoma evades the immune system and may guide the discovery of future therapies for the disease.

Cancer—basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and melanoma.

Danielle K. DePalo, MD, Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses findings from a study comparing first-line isolated limb infusion/perfusion vs immune checkpoint inhibitors and intratumoral therapy in patients with surgically unresectable melanoma in-transit metastases.

62.5% of 128 patients were diagnosed with a melanoma less than 1 mm thick after having conducted skin self-examinations (SSE).

A poster presentation from the 19th Annual Skin of Color Society Scientific Symposium analyzed the differences in presentation of cutaneous melanoma among Asian American and Pacific Islander patients.

Mortality among patients aged 80 years or older was 7.4% vs. 1.4% in those aged 60 to 69 years.

During a Targeted Oncology™ Case-Based Roundtable™ event, Evan J. Lipson, MD, and participants discussed factors influencing their choice of immunotherapy for a patient with BRAF-negative metastatic melanoma.

The incidence rate of melanoma in situ (MIS) has sharply risen since 1975.

The rates of survival and disease recurrence improved significantly when a personalized mRNA vaccine tailored to the patients’ tumor genetics was coupled with immunotherapy in those who had undergone surgery for high-risk melanoma, according to novel findings presented by Khattak et al at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract LBA9503).

Omid Hamid, MD, discusses the investigation of the LAG-3 inhibitor fianlimab in combination with cemiplimab in patients with advanced melanoma who were naïve to anti–PD-1 agents in the advanced setting.

Newswise — A fresh analysis performed at Tel Aviv University and the Sheba Medical Center unveils how melanoma tumor cells impact their nearby surroundings to aid their requirements – by generating fresh lymph channels in the dermis to penetrate further into the skin and extend throughout the body. The scientists hold the view that this novel finding might aid in the advancement of an immunization against this fatal cancer.

In the past decade, advances in the understanding of melanoma have led to new therapeutic options and treatment strategies. In response, late last year the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) released updated guidelines on the management of primary cutaneous melanoma.

A new study conducted at Tel Aviv University and the Sheba Medical Center reveals how melanoma cancer cells affect their close environment to support their needs – by forming new lymph vessels in the dermis in order to go deeper into the skin and spread through the body.

his transcript has been edited for clarity.

This transcript has been edited for clarity.

In an interview with Pharmacy Times at the Oncology Pharmacists Connect conference in Austin, Texas, Heidi Finnes, PharmD, BCOP, FHOPA, director of clinical ambulatory pharmacy practice at Mayo Clinic, discussed updates in melanoma and the use of immunotherapies and targeted therapies.

In an interview with Pharmacy Times at the Oncology Pharmacists Connect conference, Heather Armbruster, PharmD, BCOP, outpatient clinical pharmacy manager at Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, discussed the growing armamentarium of treatment options for non-melanoma skin cancers. With immune checkpoint inhibitors in particular, patients are seeing greater results with fewer adverse effects.

Background — The efficacy-effectiveness gap between randomized trial and real-world evidence regarding the clinical benefit of ipilimumab for metastatic melanoma (MM) has been well characterized by previous literature, consistent with initial concerns raised by health technology assessment agencies (HTAs).

In the adjuvant setting for high-risk melanoma, findings from the phase 2b mRNA-4157-P201/KEYNOTE-942 trial (NCT03897881) that evaluated mRNA-4157/V940 in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) showed improved recurrence-free survival (RFS) compared with pembrolizumab alone.

Asian American and Pacific Islander patients have a longer time to melanoma treatment compared with white patients.

Dustin Portela, DO, a board-certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon at Treasure Valley Dermatology in Boise, Idaho, interviews a patient who has been battling metastatic stage IV melanoma for many years. In his most recent Health IQ podcast, Portela speaks with Katie, who used her experience of her melanoma diagnosis to become an advocate for those living with melanoma.

Among Asian patients, a high proportion of head and neck malignant melanomas (HNMs) are of the nodular subtype and are associated with poor outcomes and low survival, researchers reported in Melanoma Research.

A new study that sheds light on how B cells react to skin cancer cells could pave the way for innovative therapy design.

This new research indicates substantial detection of lower-risk disease among patients who are considered to be health-seeking.

Patients with vitiligo were found to have a reduced incidence of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers in a UK-based study.

Investigators from the Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London have discovered that mitochondrial dynamics control migration of melanoma skin cancer cells, according to the results of a study published in Nature Communications.

A higher level of knowledge about melanoma risk is associated with an increased likelihood of performing preventative behaviors, according to research presented at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Targeted adjuvant therapy does not improve outcomes in patients with stage III melanoma, according to a Swedish study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

“My own physician assistant, Monique, she’s priceless. I can’t live without her; she works with me on the research side. So if the value of a PA in an office has to be demonstrated, I’ll just show you her picture,” said Neal Bhatia, MD, ahead of the 2023 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference for PAs and NPs.

Overall survival for patients with melanoma that has spread to the brain is only four to six months. Immunotherapies, which harness the power of the immune system to attack cancer cells, have garnered excitement in recent years for their potential to revolutionize the treatment of metastatic melanomas, but results from early clinical studies indicate that the prognosis for most patients with brain metastatic disease remains poor.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer. It has become a significant global public health concern. The American Cancer Society predicts that approximately 97,610 new cases of Melanoma will be diagnosed in the United States in 2023, with more men than women affected. Early identification and effective management of this disease are crucial in improving the survival rates of people with Melanoma.

Among patients with advanced melanoma with disease progression following treatment with anti–PD-1/L1 therapy, relatlimab plus nivolumab (Opdualag) demonstrated early signs of clinical benefit, according to findings from cohort D of the phase 1/2 RELATIVITY-020 trial (NCT01968109) published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Our skin contains specialized long-lived killer cells that protect against intruders. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark have now identified how these cells are formed, and shown that high levels of memory killer cells in cancer tissue correlate with a better survival rate in people with melanoma. The study is published in the journal Immunity.

Marlana M. Orloff, MD, offers advice for patients who are diagnosed with metastatic uveal melanoma.

Marc S. Ernstoff, MD, chief for the ImmunoOncology branch of the Developmental Therapeutics Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis at the National Cancer Institute, provides recommendations for managing patients with metastatic melanoma.

CHICAGO — Tumor lymph node dissection likely can be omitted for patients with melanoma who achieve major pathologic response after neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockade, according to study results presented at ASCO Annual Meeting.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that forms in skin cells called melanocytes, which are responsible for producing the pigment that gives skin its color.

Four biomarkers appeared associated with longer RFS with nivolumab but not placebo.

Hussein A. Tawbi, MD, PhD, professor, deputy chair, director, Personalized Cancer Therapy, Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the 2-year findings from the phase 2/3 RELATIVITY-047 trial (NCT03470922) of nivolumab plus relatlimab-rmbw (Opdualag) in treatment-naïve patients with metastatic or unresectable melanoma.

Moderna and MSD revealed an update on results demonstrating an improved distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) when their mRNA vaccine was used in combination with Keytruda (pembrolizumab), at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

Addressing racial disparities in skin cancer involves education, understanding rates of risk and ethnicity, and knowledge of the different types of melanoma, which makes skin cancer disparities complex to attack, said Sancy Leachman, MD, PhD, professor and chair in the Department of Dermatology and director of the Melanoma Research Program at the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health and Science University.

Sunandana Chandra, MD, MS: Dr Pavlick, given the logistical challenges of delivering intralesional therapies, can you describe the way your practice does it so our audience can glean some tips as they try to develop these in their own institutions and hospitals?

Imiquimod treatment for 16 weeks exhibited a 90% tumor clearance rate in persistent MMIS at margins of resection.

As interest in neoadjuvant treatment in melanoma grows, it’s important to determine the best approaches for investigating new therapeutic agents and post-treatment options for patients.

In patients with advanced melanoma, a telehealth exercise intervention was feasible, safe, and improved physical function while also improving quality of life.

A comprehensive analysis found patients with hematologic malignancies and advanced melanoma who were treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors experienced significantly worse melanoma-related outcomes compared to patients without hematologic malignancies.

RNA derived tape stripping proved to have a 100% sensitivity for identifying cutaneous malignant melanoma.

A new research paper was published in Oncotarget’s Volume 14 on May 26, 2023, entitled, “Deconstructing the role of MALAT1 in MAPK-signaling in melanoma: insights from antisense oligonucleotide treatment."

A number of novel immunotherapies, such as PD-1 inhibitors and targeted drug therapies with BRAF and MEK inhibitors, have become available for managing advanced melanoma.

In a recent systematic review, researchers sought to evaluate the historical evidence of pediatric melanoma, citing the current evidence’s heterogeneity, particularly regarding melanoma subtypes and prognosis. Furthermore, they intended to highlight major sources of pediatric melanoma heterogeneity, particularly among single patients.

Sunandana Chandra, MD, MS: We’ve talked a lot about different trials that led to the FDA approval of some of these agents. What are some of the more meaningful end points?

Sunandana Chandra, MD, MS: To expound on that a bit more, Dr Pavlick, when you’re thinking of a combination immunotherapy approach for a patient, how do you decide between the 2 combinations that are FDA approved?

Although skin cancer is the most common type of cancer worldwide, melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer — has a 5-year survival rate of 99% when detected early.

The following is a summary of “Distinct genomic features in a retrospective cohort of mucosal, acral, and vulvovaginal melanomas,” published in the MAY 2023 issue of Dermatology by Shi, et al.

During a Targeted Oncology™ Case-Based Roundtable™ event, Michael B. Atkins, MD, and participants discussed the case of a 73-year-old man with a history of melanoma whose disease is now metastatic

During a Targeted Oncology™ Case-Based Roundtable™ event, Michael B. Atkins, MD, and participants discussed the case of a 73-year-old man with a history of melanoma whose disease is now metastatic

A review of randomized clinical trials using the World Health Organization’s framework for clinical adherence to point to key knowledge gaps in self-exam knowledge among those at high risk for skin cancer.

Sunandana Chandra, MD, MS: Talk briefly about patients with high-risk melanoma. For example, for patients with stage III melanoma, a number of trials have led to approvals initially of high-dose ipilimumab and anti–PD-1, as well as combination BRAF/MEK for those who have a BRAF mutation. For a patient with stage III disease, Dr Khushalani, when do you decide to treat and with what agent, especially if they’re BRAF mutated?

Sunandana Chandra, MD, MS: Let’s switch gears and talk about the treatment modality of tumor-directed oncolytic therapies. These are intralesional therapies that many medical oncologists often employ in our practices. Dr Khushalani, when do you consider usage of this particular treatment modality for your patients?

On this episode of The Vitals, Oncology Nursing News® talks with Amber Pierce RN, BSN, OCN, regional nurse manager at Oncology Hematology Associates, an American Oncology Network partner practice, about the importance of 2-step verification with nivolumab and relatlimab-rmbw (Opdualag), which was approved for patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma in March 2022.

With the weather warming up, and the Met Office predicting another summer of high temperatures, it’s important to factor in sun protection within your health and safety advice, specifically to those who spend prolonged periods outdoors.

A function of immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors, is to allow normal tissues to coexist with the immune system and avoid triggering a destructive response.

In a study, researchers sought to obtain up-to-date information about changes in the metastatic melanoma progression journey, particularly to varying regions, and even organs of the body, in order to improve patient treatment response and survival rates.

The 31-gene expression profile test, DecisionDx-Melanoma, demonstrated improved risk stratification over American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging alone in patients with stage I cutaneous melanoma, according to a press release from Castle Biosciences, Inc.

In a new translational study from UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, researchers analyzed genetic changes in the organs of recently deceased patients to understand how metastatic cutaneous melanoma spreads in those who had initially benefited from precision therapies. Results are published online ahead of print in Nature Medicine.

Researchers from Harvard’s Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (HSCRB)’s Zon lab have discovered a new mechanism that influences melanoma development, a finding that could have wide implications for patients across a variety of cancers.

NEW YORK — Researchers have uncovered genetic and gene expression changes in the organs of patients who died of precision treatment-resistant metastatic cutaneous melanoma.

Researchers from Harvard’s Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (HSCRB)’s Zon lab have discovered a new mechanism that influences melanoma development, a finding that could have wide implications for patients across a variety of cancers.

The following is a summary of “Risk of recurrence of nail unit melanoma after functional surgery versus amputation,” published in the January 2023 issue of Dermatology by Oh, et al.

The regional treatment conferred a significantly higher overall response rate than best alternative care.

Marc S. Ernstoff, MD, chief for the ImmunoOncology branch of the Developmental Therapeutics Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis at the National Cancer Institute, discusses why physicians would treat metastatic melanoma with immunotherapy prior to small molecule inhibitors in most cases.

The following is a summary of “Survival and tumor characteristics of patients presenting with single primary versus second primary melanoma lesions,” published in the MAY 2023 issue of Dermatology by Sarver, et al.

Researchers have found that studying the landscape of DNA and RNA alterations across multiple organs of metastasis may provide a new direction in cancer therapeutics to address treatment failure, according to a new study published by Liu et al in Nature Medicine. The new findings from analyzing genetic changes in the organs of recently deceased patients may help researchers understand how metastatic cutaneous melanoma spreads in those who had initially benefited from precision therapies.

Sunandana Chandra, MD, MS: Let’s switch gears and talk about unresectable metastatic melanoma next. Dr Pavlick, when a patient walks in your office with unresectable metastatic melanoma, what are the decisions that drive your selection of treatments to offer or discuss with the patient?

May is National Skin Cancer and Melanoma Awareness Month. Learn about the latest advances and research in skin cancer and melanoma.

Sathya Neelature Sriramareddy, MD, PhD, postdoctoral fellow, Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses how the interaction between uveal melanoma cells and the liver microenvironment could influence metastasis growth and therapeutic response.

In this episode of The Vitals, Krista M. Rubin, RN, MS, FNP-BC, joins Oncology Nursing News® to discuss best nursing practices with tebentafusp-tebn (Kimmtrak) for patients with unresectable or metastatic uveal melanoma. Rubin is a nurse practitioner with the Center for Melanoma at Massachusetts General Hospital, with over 20 years of experience caring for patients with melanoma. She is also the chair of the Melanoma Nursing Initiative.

The incorporation of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing into standard practice for patients with metastatic uveal melanoma receiving tebentafusp-tebn (Kimmtrak) may provide a more accurate assessment of the agent’s efficacy compared with radiographic response, and better inform the decision to continue or discontinue treatment, according to Ryan J. Sullivan, MD.

The following is a summary of “Local Recurrence Rates of Malignant Melanoma After Mohs Micrographic Surgery Are Lowest With 5- to 10-mm Initial Margins: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” published in the Feb 2023 issue of Dermatologic Surgery by Campbell et al.

Promising preclinical findings have demonstrated that IRAK-4 is a viable target to increase the efficacy of immunotherapy in patients with melanoma who have brain metastases. The development of the oral, IRAK-4 inhibitor, CA-4948, showed enhanced antitumor activity and efforts are underway to evaluate the agent in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in a first in-human clinical trial (NCT05669352), according to Bently Doonan, MD.

Dermatologist cooperation with a market-approved convolutional neural network (CNN) may improve skin lesion identification performance, according to recent findings.

Oncologists take multiple treatment attributes into consideration when deciding between options for patients with BRAF V600E/K-mutant metastatic melanoma.

The incidence of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer appears to be markedly low among people with vitiligo, as reported in a study.

“Medical Journeys" is a set of clinical resources reviewed by doctors, meant for physicians and other healthcare professionals as well as the patients they serve.

Researchers have identified gene mutations that cause cancer in a previously unknown way.

What data from the CheckMate 067 (NCT01844505), KEYNOTE-006 (NCT01866319), and RELATIVITY-047 (NCT03470922) trials would influence your choice of immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma?

Clinical eligibility guidelines determine the criteria by which patients are selected for various medical procedures. But strict reliance on established guidelines can overlook patients who might benefit from a procedure, while selecting some who are unlikely to benefit.

NEW YORK – Diagnostic firm SkylineDx said Thursday that it is partnering with German test developer NeraCare on that firm’s Immunoprint proteomic test for melanoma.

Published in the journal Genes & Development*, results of a study led by Laura Soucek, co-Director of the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology’s Preclinical and Translational Research Program, show that the expression of Omomyc in preclinical melanoma models disrupts MYC activity and alters gene expression profiles, reducing cancer proliferation and progression.

Media outlets have reported the encouraging findings of clinical trials for a new experimental vaccine developed by the biotech company Moderna to treat an aggressive type of skin cancer called melanoma.

Dutch diagnostics corporation SkylineDx and German company NeraCare have entered a strategic partnership to advance precision medicine for early-stage melanoma.

Patients with melanoma who had normal vitamin D levels at baseline or with supplementation had a higher response rate to immunotherapy.

It’s only April, but many people across the country and the globe are already enjoying summerlike temperatures. But getting out in the sun also increases your risk of getting skin cancer.

The personalized mRNA-based cancer vaccine mRNA-4157 (V940) plus pembrolizumab (Keytruda) demonstrated efficacy in the adjuvant setting for patients with resected high-risk melanoma. Findings from the open-label, randomized, phase 2b mRNA-4157-P201/KEYNOTE-942 trial (NCT03897881), showed that the combination improved recurrence-free survival (RFS) compared with pembrolizumab alone, regardless of tumor mutational burden (TMB).

Skin cancer is the most diagnosed malignancy in the United States today, with the American Academy of Dermatology estimating that 20% of Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime, and approximately 9500 individuals in the United States are diagnosed with skin cancer every day.

Reporting from AACR 2023, Jeffrey S. Weber presents the results from primary analysis of the KEYNOTE-942 trial, testing a combination of pembrolizumab plus a novel mRNA-based vaccine based on personalised neoantigens from patients with high-risk resected melanoma, compared to pembrolizumab alone.

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, associate professor, medicine, Harvard Medical School; associate professor, hematology/oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses findings from a study investigating the effects of early circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) reduction on overall survival (OS) in patients with uveal melanoma treated with tebentafusp-tebn (Kimmtrak).

With summer nearly here, the work of Quincy Gu, a bioinformatics and computational biology Ph.D candidate at the U of M Rochester, takes on particular significance.

Researchers from King’s College London and Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust report their new class of immunotherapy shows promising results for fighting melanomas, the most aggressive form of skin cancer. The results show that an IgE antibody activates the immune response to fight cancer and slows melanoma growth in mice.

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, associate professor, medicine, Harvard Medical School; associate professor, hematology/oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, explains the prolongation of survival with tebentafusp-tebn (Kimmtrak) despite apparent initial radiographic tumor progression in patients with uveal melanoma.

A new class of immunotherapy shows promising results for fighting the most aggressive form of skin cancer.

Researchers from Harvard’s Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (HSCRB)’s Zon lab have discovered a new mechanism that influences melanoma development, a finding that could have wide implications for patients across a variety of cancers.

A new class of immunotherapy shows promising results in patients who have the most aggressive form of skin cancer. from King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust studied whether a novel antibody can target and treat aggressive melanomas. According to study results, it activates the immune response to fight cancer and slows down the growth of melanoma in mice.

Researchers have discovered the reason why some skin cancers cease to respond to treatment toward the end of the patient’s life.

Invasive melanomas may be detected as small-diameter lesions and are potentially metastatic, according to study findings published in Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

When a patient is diagnosed with advanced melanoma, they usually are treated with immune therapies like anti-PD-1 blockade and anti-CTLA-4 blockade, in combination or alone. By blocking different proteins that diminish the effectiveness of T cells, these checkpoint inhibitors enhance the body’s immune response to cancer.

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands and SAN DIEGO, Calif., April 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — SkylineDx, an innovative diagnostics company focused on research & development of molecular diagnostics for oncology and inflammatory diseases, today announced research demonstrating significant cost-saving potential with use of its Merlin test, which may reduce the rate of unnecessary sentinel lymph node biopsies (SLNB) in SLNB-eligible patients with cutaneous melanoma.

In season 4, episode 4 of Targeted Talks, Richard D. Carvajal, MD, deputy physician in chief and director of Medical Oncology, Northwell Health Cancer Institute, discusses mucosal melanoma and treatment options for the disease.

From explaining how medications work and should be taken to reviewing potential adverse effects and financial details, pharmacists are crucial resources for patients undergoing treatment for skin cancer.

Richard D. Carvajal, MD, deputy physician-in-chief and director of medical oncology at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute and R. J. Zuckerberg Chair in Medical Oncology, discusses the factors that lead to poorer outcomes for patients with mucosal melanoma.

Each patient needs to weigh the benefits and risks of genetic testing for melanoma and have someone who can take the time to explain everything, including insurance risks, said Sancy Leachman, MD, PhD, professor and chair in the Department of Dermatology and director of the Melanoma Research Program at the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health and Science University.

Data from a national clinical trial shows that a striking 89% of patients with desmoplastic melanoma responded to immunotherapy (pembrolizumab) alone, suggesting that many patients could avoid the risk for toxicity from combination therapies and achieve cancer control with this approach to treatment.

Patients with unresectable metastatic desmoplastic melanoma, a rare amelonotic subtype of cutaneous melanoma, achieved high response rates when treated with single-agent pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in the SWOG S1512 trial (NCT02775851), according to data presented during the 2023 AACR Annual Meeting.

Radiation necrosis (RN) is common in patients who have undergone stereotactic radiation surgery (SRS) for the treatment of intracranial metastasis (ICM) from melanoma, with poor clinical outcomes, according to research recently published in Clinical Medicine Insights: Oncology.