20 November 2024Currently, there are no reliable criteria to stratify the risk of disease relapse and identify those patients who will benefit the most from adjuvant therapies in locally advanced melanoma. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is an emerging biomarker measuring the presence of tumor-derived DNA in blood. According to this recent study, ctDNA detection after surgery can identify patients with worse prognosis, and serial ctDNA measurements may enable earlier identification of disease recurrence.
20 November 2024In dermatology, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are most established as treatment of advanced melanoma. However, emerging evidence has demonstrated that their utility in cutaneous oncology extends to a variety of other non-melanoma malignancies. This review provides an update of the evidence from clinical trials, real world analyses, and translational research over the last three years in cutaneous malignancies beyond melanoma. Special focus is presented on areas warranting further evaluation.
18 November 2024Authors of this recent study find that single-agent MEK inhibition has anti-tumor activity in melanoma patients harboring an RAF1 gene fusion, and they propose that patients with RAF1 gene fusions should be considered for single-agent MEK inhibitor therapy.
18 November 2024Authors of this retrospective analysis observed that nivolumab + ipilimumab combination provides longer overall survival than nivolumab in patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment–naive advanced melanoma and identifies clinical factors that appear to be associated with survival for each treatment, which may assist with treatment decision making.
18 November 2024According to this recent study, potential therapeutic interventions aimed at disrupting melanoma metabolism highlight the promise of precision medicine in improving treatment outcomes in cutaneous oncology. By targeting metabolic vulnerabilities, novel treatment approaches could significantly enhance the clinical management and prognosis of melanoma.
18 November 2024The question of the therapeutic effect of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy has been a subject of much controversy. According to this recent study, there is clear evidence that SLN biopsy improves relapse-free survival in melanoma, but its effect on melanoma-specific and overall survival remains less clear.
18 November 2024The objective of this study was to determine motivators of participation and expectations from trial involvement among patients enrolled in the MEL-SELF randomized clinical trial of patient-led surveillance for new or recurrent melanoma. Results from the MEL-SELF trial emphasized notable altruism, self-empowerment, and perceived advantages of teledermatology as specific motivators.
18 November 2024According to this recent study, AI-assisted photoaging interventions have potential to enhance motivation for UV protection in the short and the long term. Authors of the study suggest that different age and gender groups are addressed in a personalised, generation-specific manner with the appropriate media and by considering the Hawthorne effect. Campaigns with visual AI support can improve the intent of cancer-preventative behaviour.
17 October 2024According to this recent study, current smokers are more likely to die from their melanoma than never-smokers, while former-smokers appear to have similar risks to never-smokers. Smokers have higher risks of sentinel node-positivity and of complications from node surgery.
17 October 2024According to this recent study, analyses involving two large phase III trials investigating adjuvant immuno-oncology treatment for resected melanoma demonstrate higher cure rates for both nivolumab (NIVO) and ipilimumab (IPI) than placebo, with NIVO providing the highest cure rate. Similar cure rates were estimated for patients treated with IPI in both trials, despite staging and dosing differences.
