International Consortium Defines Guidelines for Conducting Neoadjuvant Trials in Melanoma

Source: Targeted Oncology, August 2019

The use of neoadjuvant therapy prior to surgery has been impactful in breast cancer and other cancer types, but investigators are working to further the reach of neoadjuvant treatment in the melanoma landscape. Over 200 researchers joined forces as the International Neoadjuvant Melanoma Consortium (INMC) to define the best practices for running neoadjuvant clinical trials in melanoma.

The INMC, including medical oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, and translational scientists from around the world, came together to define recommended patient inclusion criteria and treatment duration for neoadjuvant clinical trials. They also defined the role of genomic testing in this space to further improve the drug development process. These recommendations have been published in the Lancet Oncology.1

In order to collaborate most efficiently, the INMC recommends limiting enrollment of clinical trials to patients with clinical stage IIIB, IIIC, and IIID melanoma who have been determined as surgically resectable by RECIST criteria. It is also recommended that treatment range between 3 and 12 weeks to prevent the disease from progressing and becoming unresectable.

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