Review
Oncology
Agnieszka Nowacka, Anna Fajkiel-Madajczyk, Jakub Ohla, Kamila Wozniak-Dabrowska, Sara Liss, Karol Gryczka, Wojciech Smuczynski, Ewa Ziolkowska, Dominika Bozilow, Maciej Sniegocki, Michal Wicinski
Summary: Melanoma, a type of skin cancer, has a strong correlation with exposure to ultraviolet radiation. It has the highest mortality rate among all skin cancers due to the formation of brain metastases. The mechanisms behind melanoma metastasis to the brain are not fully understood, but the presence of oncogenic BRAF mutation plays a role in its survival and development.
Article
Oncology
Reinhard Dummer, Paola Queirolo, Ana Maria Abajo Guijarro, Youyou Hu, Dao Wang, Sergio Jobim de Azevedo, Caroline Robert, Paolo Antonio Ascierto, Vanna Chiarion-Sileni, Paolo Pronzato, Francesco Spagnolo, Karmele Mujika Eizmendi, Gabriella Liszkay, Luis de la Cruz Merino, Hussein Tawbi
Summary: This study evaluated the use of atezolizumab in combination with cobimetinib or vemurafenib plus cobimetinib for patients with melanoma with CNS metastases. The results showed that the combination of atezolizumab and vemurafenib plus cobimetinib provided promising intracranial activity in patients with BRAF(V60)-mutated melanoma with CNS metastases.
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
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
Guixiang Liao, Yuxiang Fu, Sumbal Arooj, Muhammad Khan, Xianming Li, Maosheng Yan, Zihuang Li, Hongli Yang, Tao Zheng, Ruilian Xu
Summary: The study showed that various BRAF inhibitors and BRAF/MEK inhibitor combination therapy have better intracranial disease control in both treatment-naive and previously treated BM patients with BRAF mutations, potentially improving progression-free survival.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Yana Epshtein, Rachel Blau, Evgeni Pisarevsky, Shani Koshrovski-Michael, Dikla Ben-Shushan, Sabina Pozzi, Gal Shenbach-Koltin, Lidar Fridrich, Marina Buzhor, Adva Krivitsky, Pradip Dey, Ronit Satchi-Fainaro
Summary: This study designed novel polymeric imaging and therapeutic systems for comprehensive melanoma treatment management. By utilizing advanced imaging tools and therapeutic drugs, it can improve treatment efficacy and prevent tumor metastasis.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Josune Alonso-Maranon, Alberto Villanueva, Josep Maria Piulats, Maria Martinez-Iniesta, Laura Sole, Juan Martin-Liberal, Sonia Segura, Ramon M. Pujol, Mar Iglesias, Anna Bigas, Fernando Gallardo, Lluis Espinosa
Summary: Chemotherapy has limited efficacy in treating invasive malignant melanoma (MM), but combination treatments involving DNA-damaging agents and BRAF inhibitors can increase tumor cell death and impede MM regrowth after treatment cessation. Pharmacologic inhibition of BRAF impairs ATM and DDR activation in MM cells, leading to sustained DNA damage.
Review
Cell Biology
Darina Kohoutova, Dominic Worku, Hala Aziz, Julian Teare, Justin Weir, James Larkin
Summary: Malignant melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK, and the most common to metastasize to the gastrointestinal tract, particularly the small bowel. Endoscopic options can provide precise diagnosis of GI involvement. Surgical resection can control symptoms and increase overall survival.
Review
Oncology
Konstantinos Christofyllakis, Claudia Pfoehler, Moritz Bewarder, Cornelia S. L. Mueller, Lorenz Thurner, Torben Rixecker, Thomas Vogt, Stephan Stilgenbauer, Krista Yordanova, Dominic Kaddu-Mulindwa
Summary: This study evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of adjuvant therapy options in completely resected high-risk malignant melanoma patients. Results showed that nivolumab/ipilimumab had the highest benefit in stage IV melanoma, while dabrafenib/trametinib performed well in stage III BRAF-mutant melanoma. The presence of a BRAF mutation had a favorable impact on RFS, and patient age did not influence treatment outcomes.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ahlem Jebali, Maxime Battistella, Celeste Lebbe, Nicolas Dumaz
Summary: The network involving PI3K, AKT, and mTOR is important in melanoma oncogenesis, with RICTOR overexpression associated with poor prognosis. RICTOR enhances melanoma-initiating cells with stemness properties and contributes to resistance to BRAF inhibitors. An interaction between RICTOR and STAT3 in resistant cells, as well as a connection between RAS and RICTOR in resistant melanoma, were identified, suggesting RICTOR as a valuable therapeutic target in melanoma.
Article
Oncology
Adriana Hepner, Victoria G. Atkinson, James Larkin, Rebecca A. Burrell, Matteo S. Carlino, Douglas B. Johnson, Lisa Zimmer, Katy K. Tsai, Oliver Klein, Serigne N. Lo, Andrew Haydon, Prachi Bhave, Megan Lyle, Lalit Pallan, Ines Pires da Silva, Camille Gerard, Olivier Michielin, Georgina V. Long, Alexander M. Menzies
Summary: This study retrospectively analyzed the efficacy and safety of ipilimumab re-induction in patients with advanced melanoma who developed acquired resistance after combination immunotherapy. The response rate to reinduction therapy was 26%, with a disease control rate of 45%. Clinicians should be cautious of immune-related adverse events, including the recurrence of events observed during induction therapy.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Valentina Borzillo, Rossella Di Franco, Diana Giannarelli, Fabrizio Cammarota, Esmeralda Scipilliti, Emma D'Ippolito, Angela Petito, Marcello Serra, Sara Falivene, Antonio M. Grimaldi, Ester Simeone, Lucia Festino, Vito Vanella, Claudia Trojaniello, Maria Grazia Vitale, Gabriele Madonna, Paolo A. Ascierto, Paolo Muto
Summary: Combining ipilimumab with stereotactic radiotherapy/radiosurgery could improve local control in patients with melanoma brain metastases. However, the impact and timing of these two methods on patients' outcomes are still unclear.
Review
Oncology
Wenwen Yang, Caining Lei, Shaoming Song, Wutang Jing, Chuanwei Jin, Shiyi Gong, Hongwei Tian, Tiankang Guo
Summary: There has been a paradigm shift in cancer treatment with the emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitors, targeting PD-1 and PD-L1 pathways. The efficacy of these drugs may be related to PD-L1 expression and other emerging biomarkers. Customized medication models and predictive markers are becoming the new trend in malignant tumor immunotherapy.
CANCER CELL INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Paola Anna Jablonska, Chin Heng Fong, Timothy Kruser, Jessica Weiss, Zhihui Amy Liu, Hirokazu Takami, Yoshitaka Narita, Fabio Ynoe de Moraes, Archya Dasgupta, Choo Khoon Ong, James C. H. Yang, Jih Hsiang Lee, Nicholas Pavlakis, Paul Kongkham, Marcus Butler, David B. Shultz
Summary: In most clinical scenarios involving asymptomatic MBM, experts recommend the addition of radiotherapy to systemic therapy. However, recommendations vary significantly according to specialty, with medical oncology (MO) and clinical oncology (CO) more commonly recommending dual systemic therapy alone for up to 9 BRAF- MBM <2 cm.
RADIOTHERAPY AND ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
A. A. Tarhini, K. Toor, K. Chan, D. F. McDermott, P. Mohr, J. Larkin, F. S. Hodi, C-H Lee, J. Rizzo, H. Johnson, A. Moshyk, S. Rao, S. Kotapati, M. B. Atkins
Summary: The study compared the efficacy and safety of nivolumab plus ipilimumab with BRAF/MEK inhibitors in patients with BRAF-mutant advanced melanoma using a matching-adjusted indirect comparison. Nivolumab plus ipilimumab showed improved overall survival compared to BRAF/MEK inhibitors, with the greatest benefits noted after 12 months of treatment. Safety outcomes favored DAB+TRAM over NIVO+IPI, while NIVO+IPI was comparable to VEM+COBI.
Article
Oncology
Funda Meric-Bernstam, Randy F. Sweis, Stefan Kasper, Omid Hamid, Shailender Bhatia, Reinhard Dummer, Agostina Stradella, Georgina Long, Anna Spreafico, Toshio Shimizu, Neeltje Steeghs, Jason J. Luke, Sarah M. McWhirter, Thomas Mueller, Nitya Nair, Nancy Lewis, Xinhui Chen, Andrew Bean, Lisa Kattenhorn, Marc Pelletier, Shahneen Sandhu
Summary: This study assessed the safety and tolerability of the combination of MIW815 and spartalizumab in patients with advanced solid tumors or lymphomas. The results showed that the combination therapy had immune activation but limited antitumor activity.
CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Shahneen Sandhu, Victoria Atkinson, Maria Gonzalez Cao, Theresa Medina, Ainara Soria Rivas, Alexander M. Menzies, Ivor Caro, Louise Roberts, Yuyao Song, Yibing Yan, Yu Guo, Cloris Xue, Georgina V. Long
Summary: The efficacy and safety of cobimetinib plus atezolizumab in the treatment of advanced BRAFV600 wild-type melanoma patients who failed prior anti-PD-1 therapy were evaluated. The results showed limited activity of this combination therapy in patients with disease progression on or after prior anti-PD-1 therapy.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Jeffrey S. Weber, Dirk Schadendorf, Michele Del Vecchio, James Larkin, Victoria Atkinson, Michael Schenker, Jacopo Pigozzo, Helen Gogas, Stephane Dalle, Nicolas Meyer, Paolo A. Ascierto, Shahneen Sandhu, Thomas Eigentler, Ralf Gutzmer, Jessica C. Hassel, Caroline Robert, Matteo S. Carlino, Anna Maria Di Giacomo, Marcus O. Butler, Eva Munoz-Couselo, Michael P. Brown, Piotr Rutkowski, Andrew Haydon, Jean-Jacques Grob, Jacob Schachter, Paola Queirolo, Luis de la Cruz-Merino, Andrew Haydon, Jean-Jacques Grob, Jacob Schachter, Paola Queirolo, Luis De La Cruz-Merino, Andre van der Westhuizen, Alexander M. Menzies, Sandra Re, Tuba Bas, Veerle de Pril, Julia Braverman, Daniel J. Tenney, Hao Tang, Georgina Long
Summary: The CheckMate 915 trial compared adjuvant nivolumab plus ipilimumab with nivolumab alone in patients with resected melanoma. The study found that there was no significant difference in recurrence-free survival between the two treatment groups.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Jason A. Chesney, Antoni Ribas, Georgina Long, John M. Kirkwood, Reinhard Dummer, Igor Puzanov, Christoph Hoeller, Thomas F. Gajewski, Ralf Gutzmer, Piotr Rutkowski, Lev Demidov, Petr Arenberger, Sang Joon Shin, Pier Francesco Ferrucci, Andrew Haydon, John Hyngstrom, Johannes van Thienen, Sebastian Haferkamp, Josep Malvehy Guilera, Bernardo Leon Rapoport, Ari VanderWalde, Scott J. Diede, James R. Anderson, Sheryl Treichel, Edward L. Chan, Sumita Bhatta, Jennifer Gansert, Frank Stephen Hodi, Helen Gogas
Summary: In this phase III study, the combination of T-VEC and pembrolizumab did not significantly improve progression-free survival or overall survival in patients with advanced melanoma. These findings indicate that this combination therapy is not effective in this patient population.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Letter
Pathology
Elizabeth Paver, Karina Aivazian, Fiona Maclean, Georgina Long, Andrew J. Spillane, James S. Wilmott, Richard A. Scolyer
Article
Oncology
J. M. Versluis, A. M. Menzies, K. Sikorska, E. A. Rozeman, R. P. M. Saw, W. J. van Houdt, H. Eriksson, W. M. C. Klop, S. Ch'ng, J. V. van Thienen, H. Mallo, M. Gonzalez, A. Torres Acosta, L. G. Grijpink-Ongering, A. van der Wal, A. Bruining, B. A. van de Wiel, R. A. Scolyer, J. B. A. G. Haanen, T. N. Schumacher, A. C. J. van Akkooi, G. V. Long, C. U. Blank
Summary: Neoadjuvant ipilimumab plus nivolumab has shown high short-term survival rates in patients with macroscopic stage III melanoma, especially for those with a pathologic response. Pathologic response is the strongest predictor for long-term outcome.
ANNALS OF ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Irene L. M. Reijers, Disha Rao, Judith M. Versluis, Alexander M. Menzies, Petros Dimitriadis, Michel W. Wouters, Andrew J. Spillane, Willem M. C. Klop, Annegien Broeks, Linda J. W. Bosch, Marta Lopez-Yurda, Winan J. van Houdt, Robert V. Rawson, Lindsay G. Grijpink-Ongering, Maria Gonzalez, Sten Cornelissen, Jasper Bouwman, Joyce Sanders, Elsemieke Plasmeijer, Yannick S. Elshot, Richard A. Scolyer, Bart A. van de Wiel, Daniel S. Peeper, Alexander C. J. van Akkooi, Georgina V. Long, Christian U. Blank
Summary: The baseline IFN-gamma signature can be used to select patients who can benefit from anti-PD-1 monotherapy in the DONIMI trial. However, the addition of domatinostat, a class I HDAC inhibitor, does not provide additional benefits in patients receiving neoadjuvant anti-PD-1 +/- anti-CTLA-4. Neoadjuvant ipilimumab + nivolumab shows high pathologic response rates in stage III melanoma, but patients with low intra-tumoral IFN-gamma signatures are less likely to benefit.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Claus Garbe, Reinhard Dummer, Teresa Amaral, Rodabe N. Amaria, Paolo A. Ascierto, Elizabeth M. Burton, Brigitte Dreno, Alexander M. M. Eggermont, Axel Hauschild, Christoph Hoeller, Roland Kaufmann, Celeste Lebbe, Mario Mandala, Alexander M. Menzies, David Moreno, Olivier Michielin, Paul Nathan, Sapna P. Patel, Caroline Robert, Dirk Schadendorf, Paul C. Lorigan, Richard A. Scolyer, Hussein A. Tawbi, Bart A. van de Wiel, Christian Blank, Georgina V. Long
Summary: Individuals with cutaneous melanoma who receive neoadjuvant immunotherapy demonstrate significant improvement, which should be included in standard care.
Article
Oncology
Dirk Schadendorf, Hussein Tawbi, Evan J. Lipson, F. Stephen Hodi, Piotr Rutkowski, Helen Gogas, Christopher D. Lao, Jean-Jacques Grob, Andriy Moshyk, Jennifer Lord-Bessen, Melissa Hamilton, Shien Guo, Ling Shi, Sarah Keidel, Georgina Long
Summary: The RELATIVITY-047 trial demonstrates that the fixed-dose combination of nivolumab plus relatlimab improves progression-free survival in patients with advanced melanoma while maintaining stable health-related quality of life. Although the combination treatment is associated with a higher incidence of severe adverse events, patients' discomfort with these events is low, supporting NIVO + RELA as a first-line treatment option.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Georgina Long, Susan M. Swetter, Alexander M. Menzies, Jeffrey E. Gershenwald, Richard A. Scolyer
Summary: Cutaneous melanoma is a malignancy derived from skin melanocytes, primarily caused by ultraviolet radiation. Diagnosis is based on clinical and histopathological findings, and treatment options vary depending on disease stage and characteristics. Multidisciplinary care, including systemic drug therapies, has significantly improved melanoma survival rates.
Article
Oncology
Caroline A. Gjorup, Ines Pires da Silva, Linda Martin, Jonathan R. Stretch, Richard A. Scolyer, Georgina Long, Angela Hong
Summary: Two cases of primary desmoplastic melanoma of the nose were successfully treated with anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor and radiation therapy, which provided good outcomes and cosmetic results. This suggests that PD-1 blockade and radiation therapy can be a safe alternative option for desmoplastic melanoma where surgery is morbidly disfiguring.
Review
Oncology
Rebecca C. Simpson, Erin R. Shanahan, Richard A. Scolyer, Georgina V. Long
Summary: Advances in the understanding of the gut microbiota's role in immune homeostasis and function have paved the way for potential improvements in cancer treatment with immune-checkpoint inhibitors. This review summarizes the current knowledge, discusses clinical methods of modulating the microbiota, and identifies future research directions. The microbiota's influence on antitumour immune responses and potential strategies to enhance treatment efficacy and safety are important areas of investigation.
NATURE REVIEWS CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Jordan W. Conway, Jorja Braden, Serigne N. Lo, Richard A. Scolyer, Matteo S. Carlino, Alexander M. Menzies, Georgina V. Long, Ines Pires da Silva
Summary: This meta-analysis found that the addition of vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors improved survival rates in patients with liver metastases from different types of cancers.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Ann Livingstone, Kirsten Howard, Alexander M. Menzies, Georgina V. Long, Martin R. Stockler, Rachael L. Morton
Summary: This study aimed to quantify adult preferences for adjuvant immunotherapy for resected melanoma and the influence of varying levels of key attributes and baseline characteristics. The study found that 70% of respondents chose adjuvant immunotherapy over no adjuvant immunotherapy, preferring treatment that improved efficacy and safety. The importance of this study is rated 8 out of 10.
PATIENT-PATIENT CENTERED OUTCOMES RESEARCH
(2023)
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)
