Melanoma & Skin Cancer

The combination of the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab and the IDO1 inhibitor epacadostat failed to improve progression-free survival versus single-agent pembrolizumab in patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma, according to findings from the phase III ECHO-301/KEYNOTE-252 trial.

The combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab induced an intracranial response of 46% in melanoma patients with asymptomatic, untreated brain metastases.

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, instructor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, assistant in medicine, MGH Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses the current treatment of patients with melanoma.

Michael A. Postow, MD, medical oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses new targets in melanoma.

Robert Andtbacka, MD, associate professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine, discusses combination therapy in melanoma.

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, deputy director and co-director of the Melanoma Program at the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, 2016 Giant of Cancer Care® in Melanoma, discusses the side effect profile of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) for patients with melanoma.

Eric Whitman, MD, surgeon, Atlantic Health System, discusses the role of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in the treatment of patients with melanoma.

The FDA has approved a supplemental biologics license application adding a 4-week dosing schedule for nivolumab across several of the PD-1 inhibitor’s indications.

Michael A. Postow, MD, medical oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses side effects with combination therapy in melanoma.

Jason J. Luke, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago Medicine, discusses noncutaneous melanoma.

Robert Andtbacka, MD, associate professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine, discusses the role of talimogene laherparapvec (T-VEC; Imlygic) in the treatment of patients with melanoma.

Obese men treated with targeted or immune therapies for metastatic melanoma had a 47% reduced risk of death compared with men who had a normal BMI.

The past decade of drug discovery has brought a dramatic expansion in the number of new therapies to treat patients with advanced or metastatic melanoma in 2 modalities: checkpoint blockade immunotherapies and molecularly targeted drugs.

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, instructor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, assistant in medicine, MGH Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses novel molecular targets in patients with melanoma.

The PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) continues to be a promising frontline immunotherapy option for patients with advanced melanoma.

Investigators with the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and Oncology Center of Excellence conducted a pooled analysis of all trial reports and data marketing applications for the use of anti–PD-1 antibodies alone or in combination to treat patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

Novel systemic therapies in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings have shown promising outcomes for locally advanced melanoma and may reduce the proportion of patients who need complete lymphadenectomy.

With the advent of the combination of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) plus trametinib (Mekinist) in melanoma physicians are no longer using BRAF inhibitors alone, but rather in combination with MEK inhibitors due to the improved efficacy.

Treatment with encorafenib and binimetinib improved survival versus single-agent vemurafenib (Zelboraf) in patients with BRAF-mutant advanced, unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

Daniel Coit, MD, discusses clinical findings with complete lymph node dissection and the evolution of surgery in the melanoma landscape.

Mario Sznol, MD, discusses overall advances in the field of melanoma, as well as novel treatments with the potential to change the treatment paradigm.

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, discusses the future of immunotherapy in the treatment of melanoma.

Daniel G. Coit, MD, FACS, surgical oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the role of surgery in treating patients with melanoma.

Harriet Kluger, MD, professor of medicine, associate cancer center director for education and training, deputy section chief, Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center, discusses the progression of treatment for patients with melanoma who have brain metastases.

Ipilimumab has been approved by the European Commission for the treatment of patients aged 12 and older with unresectable or metastatic melanoma.