Melanoma & Skin Cancer | Specialty

The OncLive Melanoma & Skin Cancer condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and expert insights on various types of skin cancers, including melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and more. This section features news articles, interviews in written and video format, and podcasts that focus on unmet needs, treatment advances, and ongoing research in melanoma and other skin cancers.

FDA Grants Orphan Drug Status to ITIL-168 for Melanoma

April 27th 2021

The FDA has granted an Orphan Drug designation to the investigational tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy ITIL-168 for the treatment of patients with stage IIB to IV melanoma.

First Patients Dosed With PVSRIPO, CT-0508, and TH1902 Boosts Hope for Novel Therapies in Melanoma and Other Solid Tumors

April 22nd 2021

The first patient with PD-1/PD-L1–refractory melanoma has been dosed in the phase 2 LUMINOS-102 trial, which will evaluate the safety and efficacy of PVSRIPO alone or in combination with a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor in this patient population.

Dr. Rapisuwon on Biologic Differences Between Mucosal and Cutaneous Melanoma

April 20th 2021

Suthee Rapisuwon, MD, discusses the biologic differences between mucosal and cutaneous melanoma.

Darovasertib Shows Encouraging Activity in Metastatic Uveal Melanoma

April 19th 2021

Darovasertib, both as a single agent and in combination with binimetinib, has demonstrated promising early activity in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma, according to preliminary data from an ongoing phase 1/2 trial.

NK Cell–Targeting Strategies Come Into Their Own

April 16th 2021

Although anticancer therapies that leverage T cells have commanded the most attention in the immuno-oncology era of the past decade, strategies based on natural killer cells have recently emerged as attractive approaches.

31-Gene Expression Profile Test Improves Risk Assessment in Cutaneous Melanoma

April 15th 2021

Combining the 31-gene expression profile test with current American Joint Committee on Cancer staging guidelines may improve risk assessment in patients with cutaneous melanoma, as well as determine which patients could be candidates for more intense follow-up.

Chronic irAEs After Adjuvant Anti–PD-1 Therapy More Common Than Previously Recognized in High-Risk Resected Melanoma

April 15th 2021

Chronic immune-related adverse effects arising from adjuvant anti–PD-1 therapy in patients with high-risk melanoma are more common than previously recognized, and often persisted with longer follow-up.

Pembrolizumab Demonstrates Robust Activity in Advanced and Recurrent/Metastatic CSCC

April 11th 2021

Single-agent pembrolizumab yielded robust antitumor activity in patients with locally advanced or recurrent/metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Lifileucel Yields Durable Responses in Pretreated Advanced Melanoma

April 11th 2021

The tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy lifileucel was found to elicit durable responses in patients with advanced melanoma who were previously treated with an immune checkpoint inhibitor.

Adjuvant Nivolumab/Ipilimumab Falls Short of RFS End Point in Resected, Late-Stage Melanoma

April 10th 2021

The addition of ipilimumab to nivolumab as an adjuvant treatment failed to improve relapse-free survival in the intent-to-treat and PD-L1 of less than 1% populations compared with nivolumab alone in patients with resected stage IIIB to D/IV melanoma.

Frontline Tebentafusp Significantly Improves OS in Metastatic Uveal Melanoma

April 10th 2021

Tebentafusp (IMCgp100) resulted in a highly significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival when given as a frontline treatment in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma.

Dr. Johnson on the Risks and Benefits Associated with Anti–PD-1 Therapy in Melanoma

March 31st 2021

Douglas B. Johnson, MD, discusses the risks and benefits associated with anti–PD-1 therapy in patients with stage III resected melanoma.

HEPZATO Demonstrates Promising Preliminary Activity in Metastatic Ocular Melanoma

March 31st 2021

HEPZATO KIT has demonstrated statistically significant benefit compared to best alternative care in patients with liver-dominant metastatic ocular melanoma, according to preliminary results from the phase 3 FOCUS trial.

Dr. Davies on the Potential Role of Novel BRAF Inhibitors in Melanoma Brain Metastases

March 22nd 2021

Michael A. Davies, MD, PhD, discusses the potential role of novel BRAF inhibitors in treating patients with melanoma and brain metastases.

Tilsotolimod/Ipilimumab Fails to Improve ORR in PD-1 Refractory, Advanced Melanoma

March 19th 2021

The combination of tilsotolimod plus ipilimumab failed to improve objective response rate over ipilimumab alone in patients with advanced melanoma who are refractory to a PD-1 inhibitor, missing the primary end point of the phase 2 ILLUMINATE-301 trial.

FDA Grants Orphan Drug Designation to LNS8801 for Metastatic Uveal Melanoma

March 11th 2021

The FDA has granted an orphan drug designation to the orally bioavailable, highly-specific G protein-coupled estrogen receptor agonist LNS8801 for the treatment of patients with metastatic uveal melanoma.

FDA Grants Orphan Drug Designation to Cavrotolimod for Merkel Cell Carcinoma

March 5th 2021

The FDA has granted an orphan drug designation to cavrotolimod for the treatment of patients with Merkel cell carcinoma.

Dr. Atkins on the Efficacy of Dabrafenib/Trametinib in BRAF-Mutated Melanoma

March 1st 2021

Michael B. Atkins, MD, discusses the efficacy of dabrafenib plus trametinib in patients with BRAF-mutated melanoma.

NeoVax Demonstrates Long-Lasting Durable Responses in Melanoma

February 26th 2021

Neoantigen long peptide vaccines continued to show durable T-cell responses in patients with high-risk melanoma that persisted 4 years after initial vaccination.

Dr. Gibney on Determining Optimal Treatment Duration With Anti–PD-1 Agents in Melanoma

February 26th 2021

Geoffrey T. Gibney, MD, discusses efforts made to determine the optimal duration of treatment with anti–PD-1 agents in patients with melanoma.