According to this international phase 3 randomised control trial, a reduced stage-adjusted follow-up schedule is an appropriate and safe approach for AJCC stages 1B to 2C melanoma patients after staging with sentinel biopsy in terms of quality of life, patient satisfaction, and disease safety at three years. It also has significant resource usage benefits for national cancer services.
This review analyses neoadjuvant trials in melanoma, discussing endpoint assessment and highlighting biomarker development. Findings show that recent neoadjuvant studies in melanoma have looked at a swathe of agents with promising clinical and biomarker results. Coordinated efforts are underway to translate these findings to earlier stage disease while prioritizing the evaluation of new strategies in unresectable disease.
Combining intratumoral electroporation of interleukin-12 (IL-12) DNA (tavokinogene telseplasmid, or TAVO) with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) led to clinical responses in patients with immunologically quiescent advanced melanoma, according to results this phase II trial.
This study retrospectively analyses patients with surgically removed melanoma brain metastases who underwent treatment with either radiation, immunotherapy or a combination of both between 2010 and 2018. Results showed the combination of radiation therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors correlated to better patient survival when compared to radiation therapy alone. More specifically radiation followed by immunotherapy was superior compared to immunotherapy followed by radiation therapy.
This recent New Zealand study investigates two internationally relevant interventions as plausible statistical predictors of hat policy strength: (1) skin cancer primary prevention programme membership, (2) use of a professional policy drafting service.
The purpose of this study was to analyze long-term outcomes after treatment discontinuation of anti–programmed death-1 (anti–PD-1) therapy. The study concludes that most patients discontinued treatment at the time of complete response (CR), and that most CRs were durable but the probability of treatment failure was 27% at 3 years.
To guide skin surveillance, a risk prediction model for subsequent primary melanomas was developed, using demographic, phenotypical, histopathological, sun exposure and genomic risk factors. The study concludes that the risk prediction model and its associated nomograms enable estimation of the absolute risk of subsequent primary melanoma, on the basis of on an individual's risk factors, and can be used to tailor surveillance intensity, communicate risk and provide patient education.
The objective of this study was to review the efficacy of e‐referrals for improving diagnostic accuracy for melanoma. It concludes that the e‐referral and teledermatoscopy service for suspected melanoma has proven fewer unnecessary excisions of benign lesions than previously reported.
According to this recent study, Melanoma most commonly arises in sun‐exposed facial areas, as well as the upper back. Increased thickness is found for melanoma in acral and many head and neck sites. Nodular melanoma is more likely to occur in head and neck sites including the peri‐auricular area, ear and cheek. Clinicians should carefully assess these sites during skin examinations.
Melanoma may develop de novo or naevus associated (NAM). According to this recent study, NAM represent a small percentage of melanomas (8.4%) compared to de novo melanoma.