Melanoma

FDA Approves Merck’s Keytruda, Foundation Medicine CDx for TMB-High Solid TumorsBookmark

Article from GenomeWeb curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes: 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the drug pembrolizumab (brand name Keytruda) for solid tumors based solely on whether they have a high tumor mutational burden—a high number of changes in the DNA of the cancer cells.

Go to full article published by GenomeWeb.

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Malignant Melanoma—An OverviewBookmark

Curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes:

A Single Dose of a PD-1 Inhibitor Before Surgery May Predict Outcomes in Patients With MelanomaBookmark

Excerpt:

“A single dose of a programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor before resection for melanoma may predict clinical outcomes for patients. Researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania—who documented this finding in the largest cohort of patients to be treated with anti–PD-1 drugs before surgery—also showed that immune responses brought on by this therapy can peak as early as 7 days after treatment—much earlier than previous studies have shown. These findings were published by Huang et al in Nature Medicine.”

Go to full article published by The ASCO Post on March 7, 2019.

If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

Immunotherapy Effective Against Hereditary MelanomaBookmark

Excerpt:

“Individuals with an inherited form of skin cancer often have a poor prognosis. The type of immunotherapy that was awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is, however, particularly effective in this patient group, research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows. The study is published in the Journal of Medical Genetics.

“Congenital mutations of the CDKN2A gene are the strongest known risk factors for inherited skin cancer. Individuals with melanoma who carry mutations in this gene also have poor prognosis, according to previous research.”

Go to full article published by Medical Xpress on Oct 8, 2018.

If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

Pembrolizumab Provides Long-Term Benefit in Melanoma, Regardless of BRAF+ Status or Prior Targeted TherapyBookmark

Article from OncLive curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes: 

A new study shows that the drug pembrolizomab significantly prolongs survival in patients with metastatic melanoma, regardless of whether their tumors have mutations in the BRAF gene or if they’ve had prior treatment with targeted therapy.

Go to full article published by OncLive.

If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

ICI for Resected Stage IV MelanomaBookmark

Research highlight from Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes: 

In a clinical trial for metastatic melanoma patients, a combination of the drugs nivolumab and ipilimumab (both “immune checkpoint inhibitors,” or ICIs) outperformed nivolumab on its own, and nivolumab on its own outperformed a placebo.

Go to full research highlight published by Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology.

If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

Dual Neoadjuvant Checkpoint Blockade Feasible in MelanomaBookmark

Excerpt from MedPage Today:

“Combination neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockade therapy yielded promising outcomes in high-risk resectable melanoma, although toxicity was an issue, according to a phase II trial.

“The combination of ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab (Opdivo) led to improved progression-free survival (PFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS) versus neoadjuvant nivolumab monotherapy in 23 patients with high-risk resectable melanoma, reported Jennifer A. Wargo, MD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues in Nature Medicine.”

Go to full article published by MedPage Today on Oct 11, 2018.

If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

BRAF-MEK Inhibitor Combo Extends Survival in BRAF-Mutant MelanomaBookmark

Excerpt from Cancer Network:

“The combination of encorafenib and binimetinib resulted in longer overall survival (OS) compared with vemurafenib in patients with BRAF V600–mutant melanoma, according to results of the COLUMBUS trial. Combined with an earlier report showing improved progression-free survival (PFS), this suggests the regimen should become an important option in this setting.

“Small-molecule BRAF inhibitors, originally introduced as monotherapy, offered improvements in outcomes for these melanoma patients. ‘However, response durations were short and BRAF inhibitor treatment was associated with the development of squamous cell skin cancer and other skin toxicities related to paradoxical MAPK pathway activation,’ wrote study authors led by Reinhard Dummer, MD, of University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland. Combinations of BRAF and MEK inhibition have improved the situation further, but better treatment options are still needed.”

Go to full article published by Cancer Network on Sep 26, 2018.

If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

Could Adding a TLR9 Agonist Improve Responses in Metastatic Melanoma?Bookmark

Excerpt from Cancer Network:

“A phase I trial found promising activity and good tolerability with the combination of pembrolizumab and a stimulant of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) known as SD-101 in patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma, particularly in those who had not received prior anti–programmed death 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) therapy.

“PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition has improved outcomes in metastatic melanoma, and studies have indicated that combination therapy can increase immune responses further. “Despite the improvement in response rates with combination immunotherapy, a large unmet need remains,” wrote study authors led by Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, of the University of California, Los Angeles, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.”

Go to full article published by Cancer Network on Sep 5, 2018.

If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

Overall Survival Improved With Encorafenib/Binimetinib Combination in BRAF-Mutant MelanomaBookmark

Excerpt from The ASCO Post:

“In patients with advanced BRAF V600–mutant melanoma, combining the BRAF inhibitor encorafenib (Braftovi) with the MEK inhibitor binimetinib (Mektovi) improved overall survival compared to vemurafenib (Zelboraf) or encorafenib as monotherapy, with a favorable toxicity profile, according to updated results from the phase III COLUMBUS trial.

“Combined BRAF/MEK inhibitor therapy is standard of care in advanced BRAF V600–mutant melanoma, but approved combinations have unique toxicities that may impact the ability to deliver optimal treatment (ie, vemurafenib/cobimetinib [Cotellic] is associated with photosensitivity).”

Go to full article published by The ASCO Post on Sep 10, 2018.

If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

ASCO and Friends Submit Recommendations to FDA Aimed at Reducing Barriers to Clinical Trial ParticipationBookmark

Excerpt:

“ASCO and Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) have submitted recommended language to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for five guidance documents on ways to broaden eligibility criteria for cancer clinical trials. The recommendations are part of an ASCO and Friends collaboration to broaden eligibility for participating in clinical trials by addressing five specific areas: minimum age requirements for trial enrollment, HIV/AIDS status, brain metastases, organ dysfunction, and prior and concurrent malignancies.”

Go to full article published by The ASCO Post on Aug 9, 2018.

If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

‘Impressed With Impact’ of Ketamine in Cancer Palliative CareBookmark

Article from Medscape curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes: 

Depression is, for obvious reasons, common in patients with advanced cancer. The old, inexpensive drug ketamine—already approved for medical use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—seems rapidly effective, according to small studies.

Go to full article published by Medscape.

If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

New Study Suggests Diet May Affect Response To Cancer Immunotherapy DrugsBookmark

Excerpt:

“People with a type of skin cancer who consumed a high-fiber diet responded better to immunotherapy treatment than those with poorer diets, according to data presented at a media preview of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting.

“Melanoma is a type of skin cancer which although very treatable if caught early, still kills approximately 9,000 Americans a year, mainly people who are diagnosed a more advanced stage of disease where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.”

Go to full article published by Forbes on Feb 27, 2019.

If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

Cancer Screening Programs Influence Incidence and Causes of Cancer DeathsBookmark

Article from ASCO Daily News curated by Director of Scientific and Clinical Affairs, Lola Rahib, PhD.

In collaboration with MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Cancer Commons presented new research at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)’s virtual 2020 meeting. The findings show that, by 2040, we will likely see notable changes in which cancer types are most common and which are most deadly, highlighting the influence of cancer screening programs. This research was led by Dr. Rahib at Cancer Commons.

Go to full article published by ASCO Daily News.

If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

What Have I Learned in More Than Half a Century in Cancer Medicine?Bookmark

Article from The ASCO Post curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes: 

Go to full article published by The ASCO Post.

If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

Clinical Trials Gone VirtualBookmark

Article from GenomeWeb curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes: 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some clinical trials have gone virtual.

Go to full article published by GenomeWeb.

If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

These Underlying Conditions Make Coronavirus More Severe, and They’re Surprisingly CommonBookmark

Excerpt from a National Geographic article:

“For now, the sole intervention for vulnerable cancer patients is social distancing and enhanced hygiene practices for their family and health care workers.”

Go to full article published by National Geographic.

If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.