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Skin Cancer

Retifanlimab-dlwr for Metastatic or Recurrent Locally Advanced Merkel Cell Carcinoma

On March 22, 2023, the anti–PD-1 antibody retifanlimab-dlwr was granted accelerated approval for adults with metastatic or recurrent locally advanced Merkel cell carcinoma.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on findings in POD1UM-201 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03599713), a...

Skin Cancer

Study Shows mRNA-Based Personalized Vaccine Plus Pembrolizumab Active in Melanoma for the First Time

The search for an effective cancer vaccine has been frustrating, but finally there may be light at the end of the tunnel. Adjuvant use of an investigational personalized mRNA vaccine (mRNA-4157) plus the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab improved recurrence-free survival vs pembrolizumab alone in...

skin cancer

Marcus O. Butler, MD, on Uveal Melanoma: Tebentafusp and Evidence of Tumor Response

Marcus O. Butler, MD, of Toronto’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, discusses evidence of tumor response in orbital lesions treated with tebentafusp in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma. Tebentafusp is a first-in-class novel bispecific protein, the first therapy to show superior overall survival compared with standard therapy for metastatic uveal melanoma. Based on these study findings, a role for this agent as a neoadjuvant treatment warrants further investigation. (Abstract LB 118/1)

Skin Cancer
Genomics/Genetics

Researchers Study Genetic Changes in Tumors of Recently Deceased Patients With Melanoma

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...

skin cancer

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, on Melanoma: New Data on a Cancer Vaccine Combined With Pembrolizumab

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, of the Perlmutter Cancer Center at New York University Langone, discusses efficacy and safety results from the phase II KEYNOTE-942 trial, which showed that a personalized mRNA-based cancer vaccine, combined with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab, improved recurrence-free survival compared with pembrolizumab alone in patients with high-risk melanoma. The clinical benefit was observed regardless of the tumor mutational burden status. (Abstract CT001)

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Single-Agent Pembrolizumab May Benefit Patients With Advanced Desmoplastic Melanoma

Monotherapy with pembrolizumab led to clinical responses in 89% of patients with unresectable metastatic desmoplastic melanoma, according to results from the phase II S1512 clinical trial presented by Kendra et al at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2023 (Abstract...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Personalized mRNA-Based Cancer Vaccine Plus Pembrolizumab for High-Risk Melanoma

mRNA-4157/V940, a personalized mRNA-based cancer vaccine, in combination with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab improved recurrence-free survival compared with pembrolizumab alone in patients with high-risk melanoma, and clinical benefit was observed regardless of tumor mutational...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Prior CTLA-4 Inhibition May Influence Response to PD-1 Inhibitors in Patients With Advanced Melanoma

Researchers have found that responses to PD-1 inhibitor treatment in patients with advanced melanoma may depend on whether they had received previous treatment with CTLA-4 inhibitors, according to a new study published by Campbell et al in Cancer Cell. “In our large set of data, features that have...

Skin Cancer

Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab in Desmoplastic Melanoma

Neoadjuvant pembrolizumab may significantly improve the management of desmoplastic melanoma, increasing the likelihood of successful resection and reducing the need for further surgery or radiation therapy, according to the response data presented at the 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting, with the surgical...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Nivolumab Injected Directly Into Spinal Fluid May Be Safe and Effective for Some Patients With Melanoma Who Have Leptomeningeal Disease

Researchers have found that a novel approach to administer intrathecal and intravenous nivolumab has proven safe and improved survival in a subset of patients who developed leptomeningeal disease from metastatic melanoma, according to a new study published by Glitza Olivia et al in Nature ...

Skin Cancer
Genomics/Genetics

Researchers Uncover How Advanced Melanoma May Resist Treatment at the End of Life

Researchers have revealed the potential mechanisms contributing to treatment resistance in patients with melanoma at the end of life, according to a new study published by Spain et al in Cancer Discovery. “These results present the most detailed picture yet of what melanoma looks like at the final...

Skin Cancer
Genomics/Genetics

Naporafenib Plus Trametinib in Advanced NRAS-Mutant Melanoma

As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by de Braud et al, findings in the expansion cohort of a phase Ib trial indicate activity with the combination of the BRAF/CRAF kinase inhibitor naporafenib and trametinib in patients with advanced or metastatic NRAS-mutant melanoma. Study Details In ...

Skin Cancer

FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to Retifanlimab-dlwr for Metastatic or Recurrent Locally Advanced Merkel Cell Carcinoma

On March 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to the PD-1 inhibitor retifanlimab-dlwr (Zynyz) for adult patients with metastatic or recurrent locally advanced Merkel cell carcinoma. PODIUM-201 Safety and efficacy were evaluated in PODIUM-201...

Skin Cancer

Isolated Hepatic Perfusion May Improve Response and Survival Among Patients With Metastatic Uveal Melanoma

An advanced surgical therapy may be more efficacious than conventional treatments for patients with uveal melanoma that has spread to the liver, according to results from the phase III SCANDIUM trial published by Bagge et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Infusing the liver with high doses of ...

Skin Cancer

Nicotinamide for Chemoprevention of Skin Cancer in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients

In an Australian phase III trial (ONTRANS) reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Allen et al found that 1 year of treatment with nicotinamide (vitamin B3) vs placebo did not reduce the risk of keratinocyte cancers or actinic keratoses in immunosuppressed solid organ transplant...

Skin Cancer

Fewer Cases of Melanoma and Extracutaneous Malignancies Detected Among Patients With Atopic Diseases

Researchers have found that patients with a history of atopic diseases may be less likely to develop melanoma than patients with a history of nonatopic diseases, according to a new study published by Komulainen et al in Melanoma Research. The findings also revealed that patients with atopic...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Neoadjuvant Plus Adjuvant vs Adjuvant Pembrolizumab in Advanced Melanoma

In the phase II SWOG Cancer Re­search Network S1801 trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Sapna P. Patel, MD, and colleagues found that neoadjuvant plus adjuvant pembrolizumab significantly improved event-free survival vs adjuvant pembrolizumab alone in patients with stage IIIB to...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Mediterranean Diet and Immune Checkpoint Blockade Outcomes in Advanced Melanoma

In the PRIMM study reported in JAMA Oncology, Bolte et al found that consumption of a Mediterranean diet was associated with a high probability of objective response and 12-month progression-free survival among patients receiving immune checkpoint blockade treatment for advanced melanoma. As stated ...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Nivolumab and Relatlimab in Patients With Advanced Melanoma Progressing on Anti–PD-1/PD-L1 Therapy

As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Paolo Antonio Ascierto, MD, and colleagues, the phase I/IIa RELATIVITY-020 trial part D has shown evidence of activity of the combination of nivolumab and relatlimab in patients with advanced melanoma progressing on anti–PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. Study...

Skin Cancer

Grateful to Be Alive

Although there is no history of cancer in my family, I guess it isn’t surprising that I would develop an  aggressive form of melanoma on my scalp after years of ultraviolet radiation from sun exposure. Still, getting  the diagnosis was devastating. I first noticed a small lump on the top of my head ...

skin cancer

Emerging Second- and Third-Line Therapies for Unresectable and Metastatic Melanoma

This is Part 4 of Updates in Melanoma, a four-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this Roundtable.   In this video, Drs. Omid Hamid, Sapna Patel, and Ryan Sullivan discuss the second- and third-line therapy options for unresectable and metastatic melanoma. The patient is a 55-year-old man diagnosed with metastatic melanoma that has spread to the lung and liver. He was previously treated with combination checkpoint inhibitor therapy without benefit, and his providers are debating the next steps.   The faculty review the recent data in advanced melanoma in the second line and beyond, focusing in particular on tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy. They provide an overview of what the practicing clinician and patients should know about TIL therapy, the logistics involved, and recent data.

skin cancer

First-Line Therapy for Metastatic Malignant Melanoma

This is Part 3 of Updates in Melanoma, a four-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this Roundtable.   In this video, Drs. Omid Hamid, Sapna Patel, and Ryan Sullivan discuss the first-line treatment of metastatic melanoma. The patient is a 32-year-old woman recently diagnosed with BRAF V600E–negative melanoma that has metastasized to the liver. MRI of the brain was negative, her EVOG performance score is 1, and she has no contraindications to targeted therapy or immune checkpoint inhibitors.   The faculty review the changing first-line treatment landscape in metastatic and unresectable melanoma, discussing the many immunotherapy combinations that have entered the field. In particular, they highlight the results of the recent RELATIVITY-047, CheckMate 067, and DREAMseq trials.

skin cancer

Neoadjuvant Therapy in Malignant Melanoma

This is Part 2 of Updates in Melanoma, a four-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this Roundtable.   In this video, Drs. Omid Hamid, Sapna Patel, and Ryan Sullivan discuss current adjuvant treatment options in malignant melanoma. The patient is a 67-year-old man with a long-standing mole on his leg that has begun to change over the past year. A biopsy shows a 2.2-mm melanoma, nonulcerated, and the tumor is BRAF-positive. Physical examination reveals palpable lymphadenopathy in the inguinal area.    The faculty discuss the current neoadjuvant armamentarium for malignant melanoma, reviewing the implications of the OpACIN and S1801 trials and highlighting possible ways to deescalate surgery and adjuvant therapy.

skin cancer

Adjuvant Therapy in Malignant Melanoma

This is Part 1 of Updates in Melanoma, a four-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this Roundtable.   In this video, Drs. Omid Hamid, Sapna Patel, and Ryan Sullivan discuss current adjuvant treatment options in malignant melanoma. The patient is a 67-year-old man with a long-standing mole on his leg that has begun to change over the past year. A biopsy shows a 2.2-mm melanoma, nonulcerated, with no palpable lymph nodes in the inguinal area. CT and PET scans show no evidence of metastatic disease, sentinel lymph nodes are negative, and the tumor is BRAF-positive.   The faculty discuss the role of immunotherapy in the adjuvant treatment of stage II-IV melanoma, highlighting recent trials such as COMBI-AD, CheckMate 238, and KEYNOTE-54. In addition, they emphasize the importance of testing for BRAF status when making treatment decisions.

Skin Cancer

Methotrexate May Be Associated With an Increased Risk for Some Skin Cancers

Methotrexate may be linked to an elevated risk of three types of skin cancer, according to a new study published by Polesie et al in the British Journal of Cancer. Additionally, among patients taking the drug to treat moderate to severe psoriasis, an increased risk was observed only for basal cell...

Skin Cancer
Genomics/Genetics
Immunotherapy

Study Explores the Addition of First-Line Atezolizumab in BRAF V600–Mutant Advanced Melanoma

As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Paolo A. Ascierto, MD, of the Istituto Nazionale Tumori Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Fondazione Pascale, Naples, and colleagues, the second interim overall survival analysis of the phase III IMspire150 trial has shown a numeric but...

Skin Cancer
Survivorship

Interventions to Improve Skin Cancer Surveillance in Childhood Cancer Survivors Who Received Radiotherapy

In a study (Advancing Survivors Knowledge; ASK) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Geller et al found that three patient- and patient/physician-based interventions to improve skin cancer surveillance among childhood cancer survivors treated with radiotherapy resulted in increased rates...

Skin Cancer

Nonablative Fractional Laser Therapy May Help Prevent Nonmelanoma Skin Cancers

Researchers discovered that simple laser treatments to the skin may help prevent the development of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, according to a new study published by Benson et al in Dermatologic Surgery. Background Collectively known as keratinocyte carcinomas, basal cell...

Skin Cancer

Experts Publish Consensus Statement on Classification System for Pathology and Diagnosis of Melanocytic Lesions

In recognition of continuing issues with the process of melanocytic pathology assessments, an expert panel of three dermatopathologists—with assistance from an expert team of researchers—has developed and now revised the Melanocytic Pathology Assessment Tool and Hierarchy for Diagnosis schema...

Skin Cancer

Fewer Cases of Melanoma Found Among Individuals Taking Vitamin D Supplements

Fewer cases of melanoma were observed among individuals who regularly took vitamin D supplements than among those who did not take the supplements, according to a new study published by Kanasuo et al in Melanoma Research. Researchers also found that individuals taking vitamin D supplements...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Expert Point of View: Ryan J. Sullivan, MD

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Associate Professor of Hematology/Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, told The ASCO Post that tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) cell therapy is likely to become a standard practice in the field....

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Study Finds Lifileucel Active in Advanced Melanoma After Disease Progression on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Cell therapy with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) may address an important unmet need for patients with difficult-to-treat melanoma after disease progression on immune checkpoint inhibitors, according to data presented during the 2022 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual ...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

TIL Therapy vs Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma

In a Dutch-Danish phase III trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Rohaan et al found that tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy prolonged progression-free survival vs ipilimumab in patients with advanced melanoma.  Study Details The open-label trial included 168 patients...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Addition of First-Line Atezolizumab to Vemurafenib/Cobimetinib in BRAF V600–Mutant Advanced Melanoma

As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Paolo A. Ascierto, MD, and colleagues, the second interim overall survival analysis of the phase III IMspire150 trial has shown a numeric but statistically nonsignificant improvement with the addition of first-line atezolizumab to vemurafenib and cobimetinib in ...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Adjuvant Pembrolizumab May Improve Quality of Life in Patients With High-Risk Resected Melanoma

Taken together with the primary clinical results, a secondary analysis of the phase III SWOG S1404 randomized clinical trial demonstrated that pembrolizumab provides superior clinical and patient-reported quality-of-life outcomes compared to standard of care with adjuvant ipilimumab or high-dose...

skin cancer
immunotherapy

Saman Maleki, PhD, on Melanoma: Reducing Primary Resistance to Immunotherapy

Saman Maleki, PhD, of Canada’s Western University and Lawson Health Research Institute, discusses modifying the gut microbiome in patients with advanced melanoma to induce a response to anti–PD-1 therapy and potentially reduce primary resistance to immunotherapy. A fecal microbiota transplant from healthy donors before treatment appears to be beneficial (Abstract 614).

Skin Cancer

Researchers Identify Subset of Patients With Stage I Melanoma Who Have Low Risk of Melanoma Mortality

Researchers identified a subset of patients who had early-stage melanoma with almost no melanoma-related deaths, potentially representing cases contributing to overdiagnosis, according to a new study published by Eguchi et al in Cancer. The findings may help clinicians determine which patients have ...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

New Phase I/II Data on the CD40 Antibody Sotigalimab in Combination With Pembrolizumab in Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

New data from an ongoing phase II trial evaluating first-line intratumoral administration of sotigalimab, a CD40 agonist antibody, in combination with systemic pembrolizumab, an anti–PD-1 antibody, in metastatic melanoma was presented by Bentebibel et al at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Management of Severe Immune-Related Adverse Events With Ipilimumab/Nivolumab and Survival in Advanced Melanoma

In a Dutch study reported in JAMA Oncology, van Not et al found that management of grade ≥ 3 immune-related adverse events with steroids alone vs steroids plus second-line immunosuppressants was associated with better survival outcomes among patients receiving first-line combination ipilimumab and...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Expert Point of View: Ignacio Melero, MD, PhD

Ignacio Melero, MD, PhD, Professor of Immunology and Co-Director of the Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy at the Clinica Universidad de Navarra in Spain, was the invited discussant of the M14TIL study. He noted that a 50% relative reduction in the risk of disease progression is impressive...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Prolonging Remission in Anti–PD-1 Refractory Melanoma With Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Therapy

For the first time in a multicenter randomized trial, T-cell therapy has been shown to improve outcomes in a solid tumor. In the phase III M14TIL trial, first-line or second-line treatment with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) led to a 50% reduction in disease progression or death from advanced ...

Skin Cancer

KEYNOTE-716: Distant Metastasis–Free Survival With Adjuvant Pembrolizumab in Resected Stage IIB or IIC Melanoma

As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Georgina V. Long, MBBS, PhD, and colleagues, an analysis from the phase III KEYNOTE-716 trial has shown significant improvement in the secondary endpoint of distant metastasis–free survival with adjuvant pembrolizumab vs placebo in resected stage IIB or IIC...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Expert Point of View: Alexander M.M. Eggermont, MD; Omid Hamid, MD; and James Larkin, PhD

The results of SWOG S18011 were met with enthusiasm by attendees at the Presidential Symposium of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2022. The ASCO Post captured the thoughts of several melanoma experts, who had somewhat different ideas about the immediate clinical...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

SWOG S1801: Addition of Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab to Adjuvant Pembrolizumab Yields Benefits in High-Risk Resectable Melanoma

In resectable stage III to IV melanoma, three cycles of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab was significantly more beneficial than adjuvant pembrolizumab alone, based on the results of the phase II SWOG S1801 trial presented in a Presidential Symposium at the European...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy With Relatlimab and Nivolumab in Stage III Melanoma

The combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors relatlimab and nivolumab for patients with stage III melanoma given before surgery was safe and completely cleared all viable tumor in 57% of patients in a phase II study, according to findings published by Amaria et al in Nature. In addition to...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Phase II Trial Reports High Response Rates With Neoadjuvant Cemiplimab in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

In an international, multicenter phase II clinical trial, almost two-thirds of patients with stage II to IV cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma had tumors nearly or completely eradicated by neoadjuvant treatment with cemiplimab-rwlc, an agent targeting PD-1. The results were presented at the European ...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Mediterranean Diet May Improve Immunotherapy Response Rates and Progression-Free Survival in Advanced Melanoma, New Study Suggests

Following a Mediterranean diet rich in fiber, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyphenols may be associated with improved immunotherapy response rates and progression-free survival in patients with advanced melanoma, according to a recent study presented at the United European Gastroenterology...

Skin Cancer

Nivolumab/Ipilimumab vs Dabrafenib/Trametinib With Switch at Disease Progression for Metastatic BRAF-Mutant Melanoma

As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Michael B. Atkins, MD, and colleagues, the phase III DREAMseq trial (ECOG-ACRIN EA6134) showed that first-line treatment with nivolumab plus ipilimumab followed at disease progression with dabrafenib and trametinib improved 2-year overall survival...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Expert Point of View: Alexander M.M. Eggermont, MD; Omid Hamid, MD; and James Larkin, PhD

The results of SWOG S18011 were met with enthusiasm by attendees at the Presidential Symposium of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2022. The ASCO Post captured the thoughts of several melanoma experts, who had somewhat different ideas about the immediate clinical...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

SWOG S1801: Addition of Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab to Adjuvant Pembrolizumab Yields Benefits in High-Risk Resectable Melanoma

In resectable stage III to IV melanoma, three cycles of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab was significantly more beneficial than adjuvant pembrolizumab alone, based on the results of the phase II SWOG S1801 trial presented in a Presidential Symposium at the European...

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