Melanoma & Skin Cancer

The FDA has granted an accelerated approval to pembrolizumab for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with recurrent locally advanced or metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma.

The European Commission has approved pembrolizumab as an adjuvant treatment for patients with resected, stage III melanoma with lymph node involvement.

The monoclonal anti-PD-1 antibody cemiplimab continued to demonstrate considerable antitumor activity and durable responses in patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Hussein A. Tawbi, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses evolving treatment for patients with melanoma.

Omid Hamid, MD, director of Research and Immuno-Oncology at The Angeles Clinic, discusses the inclusion of patients with brain metastases on melanoma clinical trials.

In an analysis of patient-reported outcomes of the JAVELIN Merkel 200 trial of avelumab (Bavencio), investigators found that there was a similarity in proportion of responders with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma based on clinical and patient-reported outcome endpoints.

An ongoing phase II study evaluating the PD-1 inhibitor cemiplimab in patients with basal cell carcinoma may prove efficacious based on its activity in other advanced malignancies.

Frederic Triebel, MD, PhD, chief scientific officer and chief medical director, Immuntep Ltd, discusses a novel immunotherapy combination in melanoma.

The addition of a novel PD-1 inhibitor to a combination of BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and MEK inhibitor trametinib (Mekinist) is being tested to determine whether the triplet is safe and effective for patients with metastatic or unresectable melanoma.

Hussein A. Tawbi, MD, PhD, associate professor, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the promise of checkpoint inhibition in the treatment of melanoma.