Do Gay and Bisexual Men Have an Increased Risk of Developing Skin Cancer?
In the largest study to date of skin cancer rates among individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital reported important differences in skin cancer prevalence among sexual minorities. Rates of skin cancer were higher among gay and bisexual...
Biomarker Analysis in the COMBI-AD Trial of Adjuvant Dabrafenib Plus Trametinib in BRAF V600–Mutant Stage III Melanoma
In an exploratory biomarker analysis from the COMBI-AD trial, reported in The Lancet Oncology, Dummer et al found that tumor mutational burden (TMB) and interferon-gamma gene-signature profiles might be associated with an augmented benefit of adjuvant dabrafenib plus trametinib in resected BRAF...
Circulating Tumor Cell Assessment to Predict Melanoma Relapse
A study published by Anthony Lucci, MD, and colleagues in Clinical Cancer Research showed that the presence of circulating tumor cells was independently associated with relapse of melanoma, suggesting circulating tumor cell assessment may be a useful tool for identifying patients at risk for...
Risk of CNS Metastasis in Patients With AJCC 8th Edition Stage III Melanoma
A study using data from two major melanoma centers in the United States and Australia, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Haydu et al, has shown a 5-year cumulative incidence of central nervous system (CNS) metastasis of 15.8% among patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer...
Obstacles to Early Detection of Skin Cancer in Patients Living in Rural Western States
Residents of rural, sparsely populated “frontier counties” in the western United States have a higher incidence of skin cancer and related mortality rates. New research published by Jensen et al in Psychology, Health & Medicine indicated that the biggest obstacle to early detection and...
Cemiplimab in Locally Advanced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Migden et al, a phase II trial has shown activity of cemiplimab in patients with locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. The trial supported the September 2018 U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of cemiplimab in this setting. In this report, ...
Using T-Cell Fraction to Predict Melanoma Recurrence
In a paper published by Pruessmann et al in Nature Cancer, investigators presented a new, quantitative technique that leverages DNA sequencing to make more sophisticated and accurate predictions about which primary melanomas are likely to recur and spread. "As recently as 10 years ago, the outlook...
Immune-Related Adverse Events and Recurrence-Free Survival With Adjuvant Immunotherapy vs Placebo in Stage III Melanoma
In an analysis of the EORTC 1325/KEYNOTE-054 trial of adjuvant pembrolizumab vs placebo in stage III melanoma reported in JAMA Oncology, Alexander M.M. Eggermont, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that patients treated with pembrolizumab who experienced immune-related adverse events had improved...
Three Studies Examine Relationship Between B-Cell Enrichment and Response to Immunotherapy
The likelihood of a patient responding to immune checkpoint blockade may depend on B cells in the tumor, located within specialized immune-cell clusters known as tertiary lymphoid structures, according to three studies all recently published in Nature. The studies showed that enrichment of B cells...
Different Doses of Adjuvant Ipilimumab vs High-Dose Interferon Alfa-2b in Patients With Resected High-Risk Melanoma
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Tarhini et al, the phase III Intergroup E1609 trial has shown an overall survival advantage with adjuvant ipilimumab at 3 mg/kg—but not at 10 mg/kg—vs high-dose interferon alfa-2b in patients with resected high-risk cutaneous melanoma. The...
Molecular Characteristics of Leptomeningeal Melanoma Metastases
Patients with advanced melanoma who develop metastases in the leptomeninges usually have a poor prognosis—most patients only survive for 8 to 10 weeks after diagnosis. One reason for this poor prognosis is that very little is known about the molecular development of leptomeningeal melanoma...
Does Weight-Loss Surgery Lower the Risk of Malignant Melanoma?
Bariatric surgery is associated with a distinct reduction in skin cancer risk, according to findings published by Taube et al in JAMA Dermatology. This finding further substantiates the connection between weight loss and malignant skin cancer. “This [study] provides further evidence for a...
Pembrolizumab in Adjuvant Treatment of Melanoma With Involvement of Lymph Nodes After Complete Resection
In early 2019, pembrolizumab was approved for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma with involvement of lymph node(s) following complete resection.1,2 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on findings in the double-blind EORTC 1325/KEYNOTE-054 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier...
ACCC Project Focuses on Multidisciplinary Care of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Due to the rarity of advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, staying current with the latest information on diagnosing, treating, and supporting patients with this diagnosis can be challenging for clinicians who do not often encounter it in practice. To support the multi-disciplinary cancer...
ASTRO Issues Clinical Guideline on Radiation Therapy for Basal Cell and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinomas
A new clinical guideline from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) provides recommendations on the use of radiation therapy to treat patients diagnosed with the most common types of skin cancers. The guideline details when radiation treatments are appropriate as stand-alone therapy...
ACCC Project Focuses on Multidisciplinary Care of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Due to the rarity of advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, staying current with the latest information on diagnosing, treating, and supporting patients with this diagnosis can be challenging for clinicians who do not often encounter it in practice. To support the multidisciplinary cancer team ...
RSNA 2019: High-Dose Brachytherapy for Older Patients With Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer
High-dose brachytherapy for elderly patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer produces excellent cure rates and cosmetic outcomes, according to a new study presented at the 2019 annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) (Abstract SSM24-02). “For elderly patients [with...
Updated Data From Clinical Trials on Nivolumab/Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma
More than one out of two patients with metastatic melanoma treated with the combination of nivolumab plus ipilimu-mab is still alive after 5 years, according to the longest follow-up of patients receiving this combination. In two additional studies, the immunotherapy duet also proved to be active...
MicroRNA Panel Could Aid in the Detection of Uveal Melanoma
A blood test could soon become a monitoring tool for the early detection of uveal melanoma. Stark et al discovered markers in the blood that can differentiate between a benign mole and a melanoma, while also determining whether the cancer has metastasized, according to findings they published in...
Long-Term Analysis of Vemurafenib/Cobimetinib in Patients With BRAF-Mutated Melanoma
A phase Ib study evaluating the safety and long-term benefit of combination treatment with the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib plus the MEK1 inhibitor cobimetinib in patients with advanced BRAF V600E–mutated melanoma has found that nearly 40% of the patients experienced extended survival of 4 to 5 years ...
Role of Voriconazole in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Development
For the last decade, medical experts have known that voriconazole—an antifungal medication used to prevent infections in patients with compromised immune systems—is linked to the development of particularly aggressive squamous cell carcinoma in skin exposed to ultraviolet (UV) rays. However, the...
Reflections on Long-Term Outcomes With BRAF/MEK Inhibition in Advanced Melanoma
For the treatment of BRAF V600-mutated advanced melanoma, we now have three BRAF/MEK inhibitor combinations that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: dabrafenib/trametinib, vemurafenib/cobimetinib, and encorafenib/binimetinib. Although the toxicity profiles for these combinations ...
5-Year Efficacy Outcomes With Dabrafenib Plus Trametinib in BRAF-Mutated Metastatic Melanoma
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, of the Institut Gustave Roussy and Paris-Sud-Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, and colleagues, the long-term follow-up of the phase III COMBI-d and COMBI-v trials has shown a pooled 5-year overall survival rate of 34% ...
Head and Neck Melanoma in Adolescents and Young Adults: 1995 to 2014
Head and neck melanoma appears to be on the rise in young people in the United States and Canada, according to a study by Nosayaba Osazuwa-Peters, BDS, PhD, MPH, CHES, of the Saint Louis University (SLU) School of Medicine, and colleagues. Because the prognosis of head and neck melanoma is...
Relapse-Free Survival After Vismodegib Discontinuation in Patients With Complete Remission of Locally Advanced Basal Cell Carcinoma
In a French retrospective study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Herms et al found that long-term response is frequently maintained in patients discontinuing vismodegib after complete remission of locally advanced basal cell carcinoma, and that responses can be achieved with vismodegib ...
Long-Term Survival Outcomes With New Treatments for Advanced Melanoma: Questions Still in Need of Answers
The major treatment advances for melanoma can be attributed to anti–-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte–associated protein 4 (anti–CTLA-4; ipilimumab) and anti–programmed cell death protein 1 (anti–PD-1; nivolumab, pembrolizumab) immune checkpoint inhibitors and the combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors...
Two New $1 Million Research Grants Focus on Metastasis of Melanoma
The American Cancer Society and Melanoma Research Alliance have selected two new promising projects in a second round of funding under a partnership between the two organizations. The first grants funded through the partnership, in 2018, focused on advancing research to reduce side effects...
5-Year Follow-up of KEYNOTE-006 Trial of Pembrolizumab vs Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma
In a post hoc 5-year follow-up of the KEYNOTE-006 trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Caroline Robert, MD, of Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, and colleagues found that pembrolizumab maintained overall and progression-free survival benefits over ipilimumab in advanced melanoma.1 In ...
No Survival Benefit With Complete Lymph Node Dissection vs Observation in Sentinel Node–Positive Melanoma
As reported by Leiter et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the final analysis of the German phase III DeCOG-SLT trial have shown no distant metastasis-free survival, recurrence-free survival, or overall survival benefit with complete lymph node dissection vs observation in patients with...
BRAF and MEK Inhibition in Advanced Melanoma With Rare BRAF Mutations
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Menzer et al found that combined BRAF/MEK inhibitor therapy appeared to be more active than single-inhibitor therapy in advanced melanoma with rare BRAF mutations. Study Details The study involved data from 103 patients with advanced melanoma ...
Whole-Brain Radiation Therapy vs Observation After Local Treatment of Melanoma Brain Metastases
In a phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hong et al found that adjuvant whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) was not associated with a significant benefit in distant intracranial control vs observation after local treatment of patients with one to three melanoma brain...
Association Between Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Risk and Indoor Tanning Use in Women
In a Norwegian study published by Lergenmuller et al in JAMA Dermatology, researchers found evidence of a dose-response association between lifetime indoor tanning and risk of development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in women. The association was the same regardless of duration of use and...
Pembrolizumab for Relapsed or Refractory Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary Syndrome
In a phase II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Khodadoust et al found that pembrolizumab was active in patients with advanced relapsed or refractory mycosis fungoides or Sézary syndrome. In the U.S.-based multicenter trial, 24 patients with advanced mycosis fungoides (n = 9) or...
FDA Pipeline: Advances in Prostate Cancer, Urothelial Cancer, Myelofibrosis, and More
In the past few weeks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued regulatory decisions in prostate cancer, urothelial cancer, myelofibrosis, breast cancer, pediatric brain cancer, leukemia, and skin cancer. Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Niraparib in Metastatic...
ESMO 2019: 3-Year Results From CheckMate 238: Adjuvant Nivolumab vs Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma
Superior recurrence-free survival benefit was observed with nivolumab vs ipilimumab—and was consistent across disease stage, programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression levels, and BRAF mutation status—in patients with resected stage III/IV melanoma and a high risk of recurrence, according to ...
Ana Maria Arance Fernandez, MD, PhD, on Advanced Melanoma: Treatment With Cobimetinib/Atezolizumab vs Pembrolizumab
Ana Maria Arance Fernandez, MD, PhD, of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, discusses the negative results of the phase III IMspire170 trial, which evaluated cobimetinib/atezolizumab vs pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with BRAF V600 wild-type melanoma (Abstract LBA69).
Georgina V. Long, MD, PhD, on Melanoma Brain Metastases: Nivolumab Alone or Nivolumab/Ipilimumab
Georgina V. Long, MD, PhD, of the Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, discusses long-term outcomes from a phase II trial which showed that nivolumab/ipilimumab therapy demonstrated durable intracranial responses in patients with melanoma brain metastases. No new adverse events were reported (Abstract 1311O).
Sungjune Kim, MD, PhD, on Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Nivolumab/Ipilimumab Plus SBRT
Sungjune Kim, MD, PhD, of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, discusses phase II study findings on the safety and tolerability of nivolumab/ipilimumab plus stereotactic body radiation therapy (Abstract 1321P).
Paolo A. Ascierto, MD, on Melanoma: Results From CheckMate 238 on Adjuvant Nivolumab vs Ipilimumab
Paolo A. Ascierto, MD, of the Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Napoli, discusses phase III study findings confirming the superior activity of nivolumab vs ipilimumab in resected stage III/IV melanoma in terms of regression-free survival after a minimum follow-up of 36 months (Abstract 1310O).
ESMO 2019: 5-Year Survival and Response With Nivolumab/Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma
An update of results of the phase III CheckMate 067 trial at 5 years presented by Larkin et al at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2019 Congress showed that both nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab and nivolumab alone provided significant improvements in overall survival,...
Treatment-Free Survival as an Outcome Measure of Nivolumab/Ipilimumab Therapy in Advanced Melanoma
In a pooled analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Regan et al evaluated treatment-free survival as an outcome measure among patients with advanced melanoma receiving nivolumab/ipilimumab or either agent alone in the CheckMate 067 and 069 trials. Study Details The study involved...
Stage IV Melanoma: What Current Role Should Surgery Play?
Advanced melanoma has become a different entity in the era of immunotherapy and targeted agents. Considering the potential for good outcomes from systemic therapy in advanced disease, has the role of surgery changed? Should it be offered up front or limited to patients with oligometastatic ...
Phase Ib Trial of Toripalimab/Axitinib in Asian Patients With Advanced Mucosal Melanoma
In a Chinese phase Ib study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Sheng et al reported activity with the combination of the anti–programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) agent toripalimab plus axitinib in patients with metastatic mucosal melanoma. As stated by the investigators, whereas...
Genomic Landscape of Merkel Cell Carcinoma
Researchers have developed the largest descriptive genomic analysis of patients with Merkel cell carcinoma to date. Their analysis, published by Knepper et al in Clinical Cancer Research, will provide important information to improve the care and treatment of patients with Merkel cell...
Long-Term Follow-up of Patients With Melanoma, Kidney Cancer, and Lung Cancer Receiving Nivolumab
As reported by Suzanne L. Topalian, MD, and colleagues in JAMA Oncology, long-term follow up of patients from a phase I expansion cohort study indicated 5-year overall survival rates of 34.2%, 27.7%, and 15.6% among patients who received nivolumab monotherapy for advanced melanoma, renal cell...
5-Year Follow-Up of KEYNOTE-006 Trial of Immunotherapy Regimens in Advanced Melanoma
In a post hoc 5-year follow-up of the KEYNOTE-006 trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that pembrolizumab maintained overall and progression-free survival benefits over ipilimumab in patients with advanced melanoma. In the primary analysis from the...
Impact of Genes on Total Number and Type of Nevi
A study by Duffy et al in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology reported on specific gene variations affecting the number and types of moles on the body and their role in causing skin cancer. “The goal was to investigate the genetic underpinnings of different mole classes, or...
Risk of Cardiovascular Adverse Events in Patients With Melanoma Treated With Combined BRAF and MEK Inhibition vs BRAF Inhibition Alone
In a meta-analysis reported in JAMA Network Open, Mincu et al found that the risk of some types of cardiovascular adverse events was higher with combined BRAF and MEK inhibitor treatment vs BRAF inhibitor monotherapy in patients with melanoma. The meta-analysis included 2,317 patients in five...
Addition of IDO1 Inhibitor to Immunotherapy in Melanoma
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Georgina V. Long, PhD, and colleagues, the phase III ECHO-301/KEYNOTE-252 trial showed no improvement in progression-free or overall survival with the addition of the IDO1 inhibitor epacadostat to pembrolizumab in unresectable stage III or stage IV melanoma....
Pembrolizumab for Advanced Merkel Cell Carcinoma
Late in 2018, pembrolizumab was granted accelerated approval in the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with recurrent locally advanced or metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma.1,2 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network protocol 9 (CITN-09), also known...
