Melanoma & Skin Cancer

The combination of atezolizumab (Tecentriq) and cobimetinib (Cotellic) did not improve progression-free survival compared with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in patients with previously untreated BRAF V600 wild-type melanoma, missing the primary endpoint of the phase III IMspire170 trial.

Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, head of the Dermatology Unit in Gustave Roussy Cancer Center, Villejuif-Paris, France, discusses results of a 5-year analysis evaluating the long-term effects of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) in patients with BRAF V600–mutant unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

Douglas B. Johnson, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, clinical director, Melanoma Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, discusses applications of immunotherapy in melanoma.

The use of immunotherapy in cancer was solidified by the ample activity seen in patients with melanoma.

Adil Daud, MD, clinical professor, Department of Medicine, director, Melanoma Clinical Research, University of California, San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the immunogenicity of melanoma.

Eric Whitman, MD, medical director of Atlantic Health System Cancer Care, Atlantic Health System, discusses ways to expand the benefit of immunotherapy in non-immunogenic solid tumors.

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, assistant professor of hematology/oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses treatment approaches with immunotherapy for patients with melanoma.

The European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use issued a positive opinion recommending approval of cemiplimab for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic or locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation, according to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the PD-1 inhibitor.

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, instructor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, assistant in medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MGH Cancer Center, discusses findings from the ENCORE 601 trial in melanoma.

Douglas B. Johnson, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, clinical director, Melanoma Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, discusses the promise of combination therapy in patients with melanoma.

Anthony J. Olszanski, MD, RPh, vice chair, Department of Hematology/Oncology, director, Early Drug Development Phase I Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, discusses treatment advances in stage III melanoma.