Skin Cancer

In the real-world setting, about one-third of melanoma patients treated with ipilimumab had grade 3 or worse immune-related adverse events.

Results of a study suggest that durable survival is possible in melanoma patients treated with MAPK inhibitors, and is perhaps similar to the survival observed with ipilimumab.

Whole-exome sequencing found that mutations of the NF1 gene are an important driver mutation in melanoma, and the third most frequently mutated gene.

This slide show provides information on the present and future of targeted therapies and immunotherapies based on a report from the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics.

Not surprisingly, this was a very popular topic. I’m not sure why the ASCO planners didn’t anticipate this, because I had to wait a few minutes outside the door to even get in. At one point, it was standing room only!

In this video, Dr. Martin discusses the phase III ONTRAC study, which found that the use of nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, reduced the incidence of non-melanoma skin cancers by 23% among a group of high-risk patients.

Updated results from the coBRIM trial show that a BRAF/MEK inhibitor combination continues to provide clinical benefit in BRAF-positive metastatic melanoma.

The anti–PD-1 antibody nivolumab alone or in combination with ipilimumab increased progression-free survival in treatment-naïve metastatic melanoma patients.

Due to the genetic heterogeneity observed in tumors of melanoma patients who developed resistance to BRAF inhibitors, assessing mechanisms of resistance has minimal potential to inform further treatment decisions.

Data from the KEYNOTE-001 study showed that the anti–PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab produces durable responses in metastatic melanoma patients.

Researchers have identified several key diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis of melanoma and basal cell carcinoma with reflectance confocal microscopy.

Researchers have shown for the first time that an oncolytic immunotherapy can have therapeutic benefit in patients with advanced melanoma.

MEDI4736 appears to have an acceptable safety profile and durable clinical activity, according to a new dose-escalation study.

Nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, reduced the incidence of non-melanoma skin cancers among a group of high-risk patients, according to the ONTRAC study.

Treatment with nivolumab and ipilimumab in patients with advanced melanoma produced significantly higher rates of response and progression-free survival compared with ipilimumab alone.

Treatment with pembrolizumab resulted in an estimated 6-month PFS rate that was almost double that of treatment with ipilimumab in advanced melanoma patients.

Advanced melanoma patients who progressed on ipilimumab were more likely to achieve an objective response when treated with nivolumab than with chemotherapy.

Advanced melanoma patients who received front-line ipilimumab/dacarbazine had double the 5-year survival rate compared with those on dacarbazine alone.

This slide show features images of melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, as well as images of metastatic disease.

Patients with untreated metastatic melanoma had a significant improvement in overall survival when treated with a BRAF/MEK inhibitor combo.

The FDA has granted nivolumab (Opdivo) accelerated approval for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma who no longer respond to other treatments.

Researchers have identified two new panRAF inhibitors that could be used to treat patients with BRAF- or NRAS-mutant melanoma, and those who have developed resistance to BRAF inhibitors.

Using whole-exome sequencing, researchers were able to define the genetic basis for deriving benefit from treatments that block CTLA-4 in melanoma.

The addition of sargramostim to the anti-CTLA-4 ipilimumab resulted in a significant improvement in overall survival in patients with metastatic melanoma.

A recent study has confirmed that TERT promoter mutations are common genetic mutations in cutaneous melanoma, mutations that may be linked with poor prognosis.

Treatment with a BRAF and MEK inhibitor resulted in modest clinical efficacy in patients whose melanoma had progressed after treatment with a BRAF inhibitor.

Combining BRAF and MEK inhibitors resulted in better response, PFS, and overall survival compared with a BRAF inhibitor alone in BRAF-positive melanoma patients, according to results presented at the 2014 ESMO Congress.

Pilots and cabin crews were found to have twice the incidence of melanoma and about 40% increased melanoma mortality compared with the general population.

The FDA granted accelerated approval to pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for treating patients with advanced melanoma who are no longer responding to other drugs.