Article
Oncology
Wolfram Samlowski, Camille Adajar
Summary: In patients with progressing melanoma after initial checkpoint inhibitor therapy, the addition of BRAF +/- MEK inhibitors to continued PD-1 antibody treatment as second line therapy showed substantial activity and manageable toxicity. This approach can induce durable complete responses in patients who have failed initial immunotherapy, suggesting further evaluation in suitable patients.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
James R. Miller, Serigne N. Lo, Mehdi Nosrati, Jonathan R. Stretch, Andrew J. Spillane, Robyn P. M. Saw, Kerwin F. Shannon, Omgo E. Nieweg, Sydney Ch'ng, Kevin B. Kim, Stanley P. Leong, John F. Thompson, Richard A. Scolyer, Mohammed Kashani-Sabet
Summary: By refining eligibility guidelines, more appropriate patients can be identified to undergo useful medical procedures, improving cost-effectiveness in selecting patients with melanoma for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB).
Review
Oncology
Anna Lorenz, Mateusz Kozlowski, Sebastian Lenkiewicz, Sebastian Kwiatkowski, Aneta Cymbaluk-Ploska
Summary: Melanoma of the vulva and vagina is a rare neoplasm with a poor prognosis. Immunotherapy, a rapidly developing cancer treatment method, has limited effectiveness for this rare type of melanoma.
Article
Oncology
Max J. Karlsson, Fernanda Costa Svedman, Abdellah Tebani, David Kotol, Veronica Hoiom, Linn Fagerberg, Fredrik Edfors, Mathias Uhlen, Suzanne Egyhazi Brage, Gianluca Maddalo
Summary: A study on malignant cutaneous melanoma identified potential biomarkers that could predict patient response to therapy, paving the way for personalized treatment strategies in the future.
Article
Oncology
Georgina Long, Jason J. Luke, Muhammad A. Khattak, Luis de la Cruz Merino, Michele Del Vecchio, Piotr Rutkowski, Francesco Spagnolo, Jacek Mackiewicz, Vanna Chiarion-Sileni, John M. Kirkwood, Caroline Robert, Jean-Jacques Grob, Federica de Galitiis, Dirk Schadendorf, Matteo S. Carlino, Peter Mohr, Reinhard Dummer, Jeffrey E. Gershenwald, Charles H. Yoon, Xi Lawrence Wu, Mizuho Fukunaga-Kalabis, Clemens Krepler, Alexander M. M. Eggermont, Paolo A. Ascierto
Summary: Adjuvant pembrolizumab is an efficacious treatment option for resected stage IIB and IIC melanoma, with a significant improvement in distant metastasis-free survival compared to placebo and continued reduction in the risk of recurrence. The adverse event profile of pembrolizumab is consistent with previous studies.
Review
Oncology
Andrea Boutros, Enrica Teresa Tanda, Elena Croce, Fabio Catalano, Marcello Ceppi, Marco Bruzzone, Federica Cecchi, Luca Arecco, Matteo Fraguglia, Paolo Pronzato, Carlo Genova, Lucia Del Mastro, Matteo Lambertini, Francesco Spagnolo
Summary: The anti-LAG3 plus anti-PD-1 combination therapy has been approved as a treatment option for advanced melanoma. This study conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis comparing different first-line treatment options in terms of progression-free survival, overall response rate, and treatment-related adverse events. The results showed that relatlimab/nivolumab had similar efficacy to ipilimumab/nivolumab but with a better safety profile.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Tina J. Hieken, Daniel L. Price, Mara A. Piltin, Heidi J. Turner, Matthew S. Block
Summary: The study aimed to assess the impact of neoadjuvant systemic therapies (NST) on the technical aspects of operation for resectable stage III melanoma. Surgeon surveys were conducted to capture key impressions before and after NST, revealing that while many operations were considered more difficult than usual therapeutic lymphadenectomy, surgeries following NST were often perceived as easier compared to baseline impressions. This highlights the potential benefits of engaging surgical oncologists in structured assessments across clinical trials to analyze the effect of NSTs on lymphadenectomy.
ANNALS OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Pawel Rogala, Anna M. Czarnecka, Bozena Cybulska-Stopa, Krzysztof Ostaszewski, Karolina Piejko, Marcin Zietek, Robert Dziura, Ewa Rutkowska, Lukasz Galus, Natasza Kempa-Kaminska, Joanna Seredynska, Wieslaw Bal, Katarzyna Kozak, Anna Surus-Hyla, Tomasz Kubiatowski, Grazyna Kaminska-Winciorek, Rafal Suwinski, Jacek Mackiewicz, Piotr Rutkowski
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the association between different genotypes of human papillomavirus (HPV) and the risk of cervical cancer in Sichuan province, China.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Monique K. van der Kooij, Karijn P. M. Suijkerbuijk, Maureen J. B. Aarts, Franchette W. P. J. van den Berkmortel, Christian U. Blank, Marye J. Boers-Sonderen, Jesper van Breeschoten, Alfonsus J. M. van den Eertwegh, Jan Willem B. de Groot, John B. A. G. Haanen, Geke A. P. Hospers, Djura Piersma, Rozemarijn S. van Rijn, Albert J. Ten Tije, Astrid A. M. van der Veldt, Gerard Vreugdenhil, Michiel C. T. van Zeijl, Michel W. J. M. Wouters, Olaf M. Dekkers, Ellen Kapiteijn
Summary: The safety and efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) in patients with advanced melanoma with and without preexisting autoimmune disease (AID) were similar, with comparable rates of severe adverse events and treatment response. However, patients with preexisting inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were more prone to severe colitis and toxicity requiring early discontinuation of treatment, necessitating close monitoring.
ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Patricio Serra-Bellver, Judith M. Versluis, Honey K. Oberoi, Cong Zhou, Timothy D. Slattery, Yasir Khan, James R. Patrinely, Ines Pires da Silva, C. Martinez-Vila, Natalie Cook, Donna M. Graham, Matteo S. Carlino, Alexander M. Menzies, Ana M. Arance, Douglas B. Johnson, Georgina Long, Lisa Pickering, James M. G. Larkin, Christian U. Blank, Paul Lorigan
Summary: This retrospective study assessed the efficacy and toxicity of combination immunotherapy with ipilimumab and nivolumab in patients with advanced melanoma. The results demonstrated that this treatment regimen achieved similar treatment outcomes and adverse events in real-world patient population as reported in pivotal trials.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2022)
Editorial Material
Oncology
Meghan J. J. Mooradian, Ryan J. J. Sullivan
Summary: The development of effective BRAF-targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibition has revolutionized the treatment of advanced metastatic melanoma. However, it remains unclear which treatment option is the best for patients with resected, BRAF-mutant stage III melanoma. This article presents arguments for and against the use of BRAF-targeted therapy and immunotherapy in these patients.
Article
Oncology
Yana G. Najjar, Dustin McCurry, Huang Lin, Yan Lin, Yan Zang, Diwakar Davar, Arivarasan Karunamurthy, Joseph J. Drabick, Rogerio I. Neves, Lisa H. Butterfield, Marc S. Ernstoff, Igor Puzanov, Joseph J. Skitzki, Jennifer Bordeaux, IlaSri B. Summit, Jehovana O. Bender, Ju Young Kim, Beiru Chen, Ghanashyam Sarikonda, Anil Pahuja, Jennifer Tsau, Zeni Alfonso, Christian Laing, James F. Pingpank, Matthew P. Holtzman, Cindy Sander, Amy Rose, Hassane M. Zarour, John M. Kirkwood, Ahmad A. Tarhini
Summary: Neoadjuvant concurrent HDI and pembrolizumab therapy showed promising clinical activity in resectable advanced melanoma patients, despite high rates of treatment discontinuation. Pathologic complete response was identified as a prognostic indicator.
CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Islam Eljilany, Ella Castellano, Ahmad A. Tarhini
Summary: Patients with surgically resected stage IIB-IV melanoma are recommended to receive systemic adjuvant therapy in order to reduce the risk of relapse and death. Various adjuvant therapy options have been tested over the years, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapy. Pembrolizumab and nivolumab have obtained regulatory approvals for adjuvant therapy, while BRAF-MEK inhibitors are also commonly used. This review provides an analysis of phase III trials and discusses the role of biomarkers and future directions in adjuvant therapy for high-risk melanoma.
Article
Oncology
Julia Katharina Schwarze, Soizic Garaud, Yanina J. L. Jansen, Gil Awada, Valerie Vandersleyen, Jens Tijtgat, Alexandre de Wind, Paulus Kristanto, Teofila Seremet, Karen Willard-Gallo, Bart Neyns
Summary: Low-dose regimens of PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors may serve as effective and cost-efficient alternatives to standard dosing in melanoma patients. Immunohistochemical tumor profiling shows promise as a potential biomarker.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Bruce A. Feinberg, Marjorie E. Zettler, Andrew J. Klink, Choo H. Lee, Ajeet Gajra, Jonathan K. Kish
Summary: This study evaluated the feasibility and validity of a novel real-world RECIST method in assessing tumor burden in heterogeneous patient populations undergoing treatment in clinical practice. The findings suggest that physician-recorded assessments overestimate treatment response, while real-world RECIST-based assessments provide better approximations of tumor response compared to those reported in clinical trials.
Article
Oncology
Alison M. Weppler, Laetitia Da Meda, Ines Pires da Silva, Wen Xu, Giovanni Grignani, Alexander M. Menzies, Matteo S. Carlino, Georgina Long, Serigne N. Lo, Ina Nordman, Christopher B. Steer, Megan Lyle, Claudia Trojaniello, Paolo A. Ascierto, Celeste Lebbe, Shahneen Sandhu
Summary: The response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (mMCC) is not durable off treatment, but retreatment shows promising results.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Pathology
Ismael A. Vergara, Karina Aivazian, Matteo S. Carlino, Alexander D. Guminski, Nigel G. Maher, Kerwin F. Shannon, Sydney Ch'ng, Robyn P. M. Saw, Georgina Long, James S. Wilmott, Richard A. Scolyer
Summary: Basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) are the most common malignant tumors in humans and are usually easily managed by surgery or topical therapies. However, metastatic BCCs are rare and may have distinct biological characteristics. Through genomic profiling, aberrant activation of Hedgehog signaling and alterations in multiple signaling pathways were identified in metastatic BCCs. The presence of clonal origin in matched local recurrences and metastases suggests that molecular profiling can assist in determining the nature and origin of poorly differentiated metastatic tumors. Dysregulation of the Hippo and PI3K/AKT pathways were implicated in the metastatic progression of BCCs, making them potential therapeutic targets.
Article
Oncology
Julia Lai-Kwon, Sarah Jacques, Matteo Carlino, Naima Benannoune, Caroline Robert, Clara Allayous, Barouyr Baroudjian, Celeste Lebbe, Lisa Zimmer, Zeynep Eroglu, Turkan Ozturk Topcu, Florentia Dimitriou, Andrew Haydon, Serigne N. Lo, Alexander M. Menzies, Georgina Long
Summary: This study investigates the efficacy of a combination therapy strategy involving low-dose ipilimumab (IPI) and an anti-PD1 antibody in advanced melanoma. The results show that the majority of patients who progress following low-dose IPI and subsequently receive IPI 3 mg/kg (IPI3) have a positive response to this treatment. This suggests that the dosage of IPI is critical for certain patients.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Jake R. Thompson, Julia Lai-Kwon, Rachael L. Morton, Alexander D. Guminski, Maria Gonzalez, Victoria Atkinson, Shahneen Sandhu, Michael P. Brown, Alexander M. Menzies, Grant A. McArthur, Serigne N. Lo, Georgina Long, Iris Bartula
Summary: This study investigated the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of melanoma brain metastasis (MBM) patients undergoing ipilimumab-nivolumab or nivolumab treatment for 18 weeks. The results showed that there was no significant deterioration in HRQoL for MBM patients treated with either ipilimumab-nivolumab or nivolumab within the first 18 weeks of treatment initiation.
Review
Oncology
Georgina V. Long, Alexander M. Menzies, Richard A. Scolyer
Summary: The role of neoadjuvant therapy is shifting in oncology, from reducing surgical morbidity to a life-saving treatment with curative promise. Recent studies suggest that checkpoint inhibitors administered in the neoadjuvant setting may have greater clinical efficacy compared to the adjuvant setting.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Pathology
Nigel G. Maher, Natasha Prosser, Karina Aivazian, Andrew J. Colebatch, Peter M. Ferguson, Rooshdiya Z. Karim, Catriona A. Mckenzie, Robert V. Rawson, Serigne N. Lo, Richard A. Scolyer
Summary: This study compares the interobserver reproducibility of individual subtypes of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) using the 4th edition World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Skin Tumours (CoST) definitions. The results show that some BCC subtypes have high interobserver agreement, while others have moderate agreement. The study suggests the need for more precise definitions of BCC subtypes and recommends reporting BCC subtypes using a two-tiered risk grouping method.
Article
Pathology
Eva R. Shteinman, Ismael A. Vergara, Robert V. Rawson, Serigne N. Lo, Naoyuki Maeda, Kumiko Koyama, Ines Pires Da Silva, Georgina V. Long, Richard A. Scolyer, James S. Wilmott, Alexander M. Menzies
Summary: Overexpression of HER3 is associated with metastasis and drug resistance in melanoma. This study examined HER3 expression in melanoma biopsies and found that HER3 expression was associated with specific molecular and clinical characteristics. These findings suggest that HER3 could be a potential therapeutic target in melanoma.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Sophie Chatterton, Shuo Xi, Jessica Xi Jia, Martin Krause, Georgina V. Long, Victoria Atkinson, Alexander M. Menzies, Suran L. Fernando, Therese Boyle, Samuel Kwok, Andrew Duggins, Deme Karikios, John D. E. Parratt
Summary: Four cases of ICI-induced transverse myelitis were reported in Australia. All patients had clinical evidence of inflammation in the cerebrospinal fluid and longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis on MRI spine. Prompt intensive immunomodulation is favored to reduce morbidity and mortality, and there is a risk of relapse after cessation of immunomodulatory therapy.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Benjamin C. C. Park, Sathya Narayanan, Alexander Gavraldis, Fei Ye, Run Fan, Ryan J. J. Sullivan, Genevieve Boland, Kerry L. Reynolds, Justin M. M. Balko, Matteo S. S. Carlino, Georgina V. V. Long, Leyre Zubiri, Alexander M. M. Menzies, Douglas B. B. Johnson
Summary: Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are side effects of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy (ICI). The characterization of rare immune related adverse events (RirAEs) is limited, making accurate diagnosis and management difficult.
Article
Oncology
Prachi Bhave, Angela Hong, Serigne N. Lo, Rebecca Johnson, Johanna Mangana, Douglas B. Johnson, Ozgecan Dulgar, Zeynep Eroglu, Hui-Ling Yeoh, Andrew Haydon, Georg C. Lodde, Elisabeth Livingstone, Adnan Khattak, Katharina Kaehler, Axel Hausschild, Grant A. McArthur, Alexander Maxwell Menzies, Georgina Long, Wei Wang, Matteo S. Carlino
Summary: This study investigates the role of adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) in patients with melanoma who experience locoregional disease recurrence during or after adjuvant anti-PD-1-based immunotherapy. The results show that adjuvant RT is associated with improved locoregional disease control, but does not affect the risk of distant recurrence.
JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Michael Friedlander, Linda Mileshkin, Janine Lombard, Sophia Frentzas, Bo Gao, Michelle Wilson, Tarek Meniawy, Sally Baron-Hay, Karen Briscoe, Nicole McCarthy, Christos Fountzilas, Andres Cervantes, Ruimin Ge, John Wu, Alexander Spira
Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the antitumour activity, safety, and tolerability of pamiparib plus tislelizumab in previously treated advanced solid tumours. The study showed that pamiparib plus tislelizumab demonstrated a variable level of antitumour activity in patients with advanced solid tumours, with the highest ORR observed in triple-negative breast cancer cases.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Adi Diab, Helen Gogas, Shahneen Sandhu, Georgina V. Long, Paolo A. Ascierto, James Larkin, Mario Sznol, Fabio Franke, Tudor E. Ciuleanu, Caio Pereira, Eva Munoz Couselo, Fernanda Bronzon Damian, Michael Schenker, Aldo Perfetti, Celeste Lebbe, Gaelle Quereux, Friedegund Meier, Brendan D. Curti, Carlos Rojas, Yull Arriaga, Haisu Yang, Ming Zhou, Shruthi Ravimohan, Paul Statkevich, Mary A. Tagliaferri, Nikhil I. Khushalani
Summary: Despite the efficacy of Bempegaldesleukin (BEMPEG) in the treatment of melanoma, the PIVOT IO 001 study did not meet its primary end points, with increased toxicity observed with the combination of BEMPEG plus NIVO.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Mary-Ann El Sharouni, Serigne N. Lo, Alexander H. R. Varey, Sjoerd G. Elias, Arjen J. Witkamp, Vigfus Sigurdsson, Karijn P. M. Suijkerbuijk, Paul J. van Diest, Carla H. van Gils, Willeke A. M. Blokx, Richard A. Scolyer, John F. Thompson
Summary: This article summarizes the development of risk calculators for predicting the likelihood of melanoma recurrence in patients with thin melanoma. The calculators were developed and validated using data from Dutch and Australian patients, and were found to accurately predict the risk of melanoma recurrence.
Article
Oncology
Adriana Hepner, Judith M. Versluis, Roslyn Wallace, Clara Allayous, Lauren Julia Brown, Claudia Trojanielloh, Camille Lea Gerardi, Yanina J. L. Jansenj, Prachi Bhave, Bart Neyns, Andrew Haydon, Olivier Michielin, Joanna Manganan Oliver Klein, Alexander N. Shoushtari, Allison Betof Warner, Paolo Antonio Ascierto, Jennifer Leigh McQuade, Matteo S. Carlino, Lisa Zimmer, Celeste Lebbe, Douglas B. Johnson, Shahneen Sandhu, Victoria Atkinson, Christian U. Blank, Serigne N. Lo, Georgina V. Long, Alexander M. Menzies
Summary: Acquired resistance to PD-1 therapy in melanoma is mainly oligometastatic, and patients may have a favorable survival outcome following salvage treatment.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2024)
Article
Oncology
Caroline A. Gjorup, Rachel Woodford, Isabel Li, Matteo S. Carlino, Sydney Ch'ng, David Chung, Edward Hsiao, Serigne N. Lo, Kevin London, Georgina V. Long, Alexander M. Menzies, Omgo E. Nieweg, Thomas E. Pennington, Michael A. Rtshiladze, Robyn P. M. Saw, Richard A. Scolyer, Kerwin F. Shannon, Andrew J. Spillane, Jonathan R. Stretch, John F. Thompson, Alexander H. R. Varey, Alexander C. J. van Akkooi
Summary: Routine concurrent ultrasound surveillance may be unnecessary for sentinel node-positive melanoma patients who receive routine cross-sectional imaging, as most nodal recurrences occur outside the node field and can be detected by both ultrasound and cross-sectional imaging.
ANNALS OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
