Melanoma

In France and other countries with low to moderate incidence of melanoma, a new study has proposed recommending genetic testing using the rule of 3-screening those with 3 or more primary melanomas or genetically related cancers-instead of the rule of 2.

Nivolumab significantly improved recurrence-free survival compared with ipilimumab in patients with stage III/IV melanoma at high risk for recurrence, according to results of the CheckMate 238 study.

In this article, we provide an overview of the currently available systemic agents, including immunotherapeutic agents and targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors. We also provide a practical management algorithm to guide the practicing oncologist in the use of both of these new therapies and the more traditional local treatments.

One year of combination treatment with dabrafenib plus trametinib reduced the risk for disease recurrence or death by more than half in patients with stage III high-risk BRAF V600E/K melanoma.

Age may be an important factor in estimating lymph node positivity in thin melanoma, according to the results of a recent study.

Much work has been done recently to try to determine the optimal therapies for brain metastases in melanoma patients, the most effective ways to combine them, and ideal radiation dose and fractions.

Standard-dose pembrolizumab with four reduced doses of ipilimumab followed by standard-dose pembrolizumab had a manageable safety profile and antitumor activity in patients with advanced melanoma.

Tumor samples from a single patient with melanoma provided researchers with new information about gene expression profiles that could inform immunotherapy treatments in the future.

The FDA has expanded the approval of ipilimumab (Yervoy) to include the treatment of pediatric melanoma patients 12 years and older with unresectable or metastatic disease.

Patients with advanced melanoma treated with nivolumab had higher and more durable responses compared with investigator’s choice of chemotherapy, but these increases did not result in improved survival outcomes.

Treatment of advanced melanoma with the checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab beyond RECIST-defined progression resulted in clinical benefit for selected patients, according to pooled, retrospective data from two phase III trials.

Treatment with single-agent bevacizumab resulted in an improved disease-free interval in patients with resected melanoma, but no increase in overall survival compared with observation.

Patients with node-positive intermediate-thickness melanoma had an increased rate of regional disease control when undergoing completion lymph-node dissection for sentinel node metastases, however, there was no increase in melanoma-specific survival.

This peer-to-peer discussion reviews the current strategies for managing patients with melanoma, including screening and prognosis for high-risk patients and how to choose the best therapies to avoid toxicities and treatment resistance.

Treatment with the combination of the MEK inhibitor binimetinib and the BRAF inhibitor encorafenib resulted in a superior progression-free survival for patients with advanced, unresectable BRAF-mutated melanoma compared with treatment with encorafenib alone.

More than one-third of patients with metastatic uveal melanoma had objective tumor regression when treated with adoptive transfer of autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

A study has identified several characteristics that can help detect seborrheic keratosis–like melanomas using dermoscopy, which can help to diagnose melanoma.

A nivolumab/ipilimumab combination significantly improved overall survival for advanced melanoma patients.

This video examines phase II results of a single-arm trial that tested checkpoint inhibition plus the IDO–pathway inhibitor indoximod in patients with melanoma.

The combination of an intratumoral injection of CVA21 and ipilimumab has demonstrated durable response with minimal toxicity in patients with advanced melanoma.

The MEK inhibitor binimetinib improved progression-free survival compared with dacarbazine in patients with NRAS-mutant melanoma, according to the results of the NEMO trial.

Although long-term melanoma survivors were more likely to report healthier levels of ultraviolet radiation exposure and sun protection behaviors than controls, some still reported indoor tanning or intentionally seeking sun to tan.

The identification of ugly duckling nevi using a whole-body skin examination for intrapatient comparative analysis improves accuracy of melanoma detection.

The immunotherapy pembrolizumab was active in patients with advanced mucosal melanoma enrolled in a series of the KEYNOTE clinical trials, according to data presented at the European Cancer Congress 2017.

A multicenter study showed that an occurrence of posttransplant skin cancer was common among a group of organ transplant recipients.

Participation in a training program increased levels of self-confidence for both patients and their partners in performing skin self-examinations to detect melanoma.

Effective systemic therapy for the treatment of stage III melanoma has emerged. Whether this influences treatment choice in stage III melanoma patients with in-transit metastases is the subject of this review.

In the recent era of effective systemic therapies for melanoma, the provocative question of whether isolated limb perfusion still plays a role in the treatment of patients with in-transit melanoma metastases is timely and relevant.

Reducing the use of indoor tanning by enforcing an age restriction could potentially reduce melanoma incidence, mortality, and the costs associated with treating the disease, according to results of an economic analysis.

Researchers have identified characteristics associated with improved outcomes when treating BRAF-mutated advanced melanoma with the combination of dabrafenib and trametinib.