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.

Frontline Treatment Options for Patients With BRAF-Mutated Metastatic Melanoma

November 30th 2023

Experts discuss a preference for ipilimumab/nivolumab as the frontline immunotherapy for patients with BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma given its proven long-term efficacy but acknowledge nivolumab/relatlimab as an option with less toxicity, especially adrenal insufficiency.

Factors Influencing Treatment Decision-Making In Patients With BRAF-Mutated Metastatic Melanoma

November 30th 2023

Beyond symptoms, doctors consider the psychosocial factors impacting treatment access and adherence, like insurance coverage, cost, family support, and preexisting conditions, when deciding between immunotherapy and targeted therapy for patients with BRAF-mutated metastatic melanoma.

FDA Grants Clearance for Phase 1/2 Trial of eTIL KSQ-001EX in Solid Tumors

November 30th 2023

The FDA has granted clearance for an investigational new drug application for a phase 1/2 safety lead-in trial investigating the engineered tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte KSQ-001EX in patients with melanoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and non–small cell lung cancer.

Dr Nathan on the Design of the IMCgp100-202 Trial in Uveal Melanoma

November 29th 2023

Paul D. Nathan, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, discusses the design of the phase 3 IMCgp100-202 trial of tebentafusp-tebn in patients with previously untreated, HLA-A*02:01–positive metastatic uveal melanoma, highlighting the key enrollment criteria of the randomized, open-label study.

Dr Nathan on the Rationale For Investigating Tebentafusp in Uveal Melanoma

November 29th 2023

Paul D. Nathan, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, discusses the rationale for launching the phase 3 IMCgp100-202 trial evaluating tebentafus in patients with previously untreated, HLA-A*02:01–positive metastatic uveal melanoma, as well as the mechanism of action of the agent.

Dr Weber on the Prognostic Utility of ctDNA Dynamics in Melanoma

November 28th 2023

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, discusses the use of circulating-tumor DNA dynamics when guiding treatment decision-making in melanoma, according to data from the phase 2b mRNA-4157-P201/KEYNOTE-942 trial.

Dr Hamid on the Rationale For Investigating Fianlimab Plus Cemiplimab in Melanoma

November 23rd 2023

Omid Hamid, MD, director, Melanoma Program, The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai, discusses the rationale for a phase 1 trial of fianlimab plus cemiplimab in patients with advanced melanoma who have received prior adjuvant PD-1 inhibitors.

Dr Buchbinder on Treatment With Nivolumab Maintenance Following irAEs in Melanoma

November 21st 2023

Elizabeth Buchbinder, MD, discusses the investigation of treatment with nivolumab maintenance therapy in patients with melanoma who experienced severe immune-related adverse effects associated with combination therapy with nivolumab and ipilimumab.

Treatment Options for Patients With Metastatic Melanoma With a BRAF Mutation

November 21st 2023

For patients with BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma, doctors assess symptoms and disease status to determine if they should start treatment with combination immunotherapy, or 8-12 weeks of BRAF/MEK targeted therapy before switching to immunotherapy, which offers the possibility of durable responses or cure.

Differences Between Community and Academic Settings Regarding Biomarker Testing Practices in Metastatic Melanoma

November 21st 2023

The panelists emphasize the importance of obtaining tissue for BRAF-mutation testing and dedicated tissue tracking in patients with metastatic melanoma, with immunohistochemistry followed by confirmatory next-generation sequencing, and discuss the promise of liquid biopsies like ctDNA as a future biomarker tracking modality.

Bemcentinib Plus SOC Is Well Tolerated, But Does Not Improve Efficacy in Metastatic Melanoma

November 20th 2023

The addition of bemcentinib to the standard-of-care therapies of pembrolizumab or dabrafenib plus trametinib was well tolerated in patients with metastatic melanoma; however, it did not lead to improvements in overall response rate, progression-free survival, or overall survival vs SOC alone.

Tebentafusp Sustains OS Benefit in Previously Untreated, Metastatic Uveal Melanoma

November 20th 2023

Paul Nathan, MBBS, PhD, MRCP, discusses the differences between cutaneous melanoma and uveal melanoma that have led to unique unmet needs for patients with the latter malignancy; updated findings from the IMCgp100-202 trial; and how these findings may influence future clinical practice.

Best Practices for Biomarker Testing in Metastatic Melanoma

November 14th 2023

When a patient with metastatic melanoma patient tests negative for the BRAF V600E mutation, doctors recommend sending the sample for next-generation sequencing testing which can take 2-3 weeks, during which time they may start immunotherapy if the patient has aggressive disease, but ideally should wait for results to guide treatment.

The Role of Biomarker Testing in the Management of Metastatic Melanoma

November 14th 2023

Expert panelists stress the importance of biomarker testing for BRAF mutations to guide treatment options when a patient is diagnosed with metastatic melanoma.

PV-10 Elicits Hepatic Responses in Uveal Melanoma With Liver Metastases

November 13th 2023

Treatment with the novel immunotherapy PV-10 led to hepatic responses in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma with liver metastases, according to updated data from a phase 1 trial.

Dr Nathan on Updated Survival Outcomes With Tebentafusp in Metastatic Uveal Melanoma

November 8th 2023

Paul D. Nathan, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, discusses the 3-year survival data from the phase 3 IMCgp100-202 trial of tebentafusp-tebn in patients with previously untreated, HLA-A*02:01–positive metastatic uveal melanoma.

Dr Ronai on Key Advances in Melanoma Treatment Approaches

November 7th 2023

Ze'ev Ronai, PhD, discusses key advancements in the treatment of patients with melanoma, including the discovery of NRAS and BRAF mutations, as well as the development of immunotherapy approaches.

FDA Approval Insights: Adjuvant Nivolumab in Completely Resected Stage IIB/C Melanoma

November 6th 2023

Dr Weber discusses the FDA approval of adjuvant nivolumab for patients with completely resected stage IIB/C melanoma, key efficacy data from the CheckMate76K trial, and potential future directions for PD-1 inhibitor–based combinations in the melanoma treatment paradigm.

Retrospective Study Shows Nivolumab Associated With OS Benefit After Nivolumab/Ipilimumab irAEs in Advanced Melanoma

November 4th 2023

Elizabeth I. Buchbinder, MD, discusses findings from a retrospective study evaluating the resumption of nivolumab maintenance therapy in patients with advanced melanoma who discontinued treatment with the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab due to immune-related adverse effects.

Dr Weber on Survival Outcomes With mRNA-4157 Plus Pembrolizumab in High-Risk Melanoma

November 1st 2023

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, discusses findings from the phase 2b mRNA-4157-P201/KEYNOTE-942 trial of mRNA-4157 in combination with pembrolizumab in resected high-risk melanoma.