Immunotherapy in Melanoma | Specialty

The OncLive Immunotherapy in Melanoma condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and expert insights on available and investigational immunotherapies in melanoma and other skin cancers. This page features news articles, interviews in written and video format, and podcasts that focus on updates with checkpoint inhibitors and the ongoing research with this type of treatment.

Dr. Sullivan Discusses Role of Dabrafenib Plus Trametinib in Melanoma

November 23rd 2019

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, discusses the significance of the BRAF/MEK combination dabrafenib and trametinib, which was the first BRAF/MEK inhibitor regimen to be approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with BRAF V600E–positive stage III melanoma following complete resection.

Targeted Combos Improve OS in Melanoma, But Mitigating Toxicities Essential

November 23rd 2019

Adil Daud, MD, discusses the role of dabrafenib plus trametinib in patients with advanced melanoma and highlighted other combinations under investigation.

Dr. Weber on Adjuvant Pembrolizumab in Melanoma

November 23rd 2019

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, discusses the phase III EORTC1325/KEYNOTE-054 trial, which looked at adjuvant pembrolizumab in patients with stage III melanoma.

Frontline Nivolumab/Ipilimumab Combo Delivers Long-Term OS Advantage in Melanoma

November 23rd 2019

The combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) showed a sustained survival benefit compared with nivolumab or ipilimumab alone, according to 5-year follow-up results.

Dr. Danuser Discusses Impact of RacP29S Mutation in Melanoma

November 22nd 2019

Gaudenz Danuser, PhD, discusses how the activation of RacP29S impacts the treatment of patients with melanoma. His lab has been studying the Rac molecule for around 20 years. The RacP29S mutation most commonly appears in melanoma, but it has since been discovered in a few other cancer types as well.

Combination BRAF/MEK Inhibition Induces Potent Antitumor Activity in NRAS+ Melanoma

November 22nd 2019

Combining a BRAF inhibitor with a MEK inhibitor causes endoplasmic reticulum stress in BRAF wild-type, NRAS-mutated melanoma cells, resulting in significant antitumor activity.

Dr. Warner Discusses Findings from COMBI-i Trial in Melanoma

November 22nd 2019

Allison Betof Warner, MD, PhD, discusses the excitement surrounding the findings from the COMBI-i trial that was presented at the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting. This trial investigated the combination of PD-1 inhibitor spartalizumab with dabrafenib plus trametinib in patients with advanced BRAF V6000mutant melanoma.

Dr. Shoushtari on the Data from the First-in-Human Trial for Tebentafusp in Advanced Melanoma

November 22nd 2019

Alexander N. Shoushtari, MD, discusses the significance of the findings from the first-in-human trial evaluating tebentafusp, a TCR–CD3 bispecific, in patients with advanced melanoma.

Nivolumab/Ipilimumab Misses Coprimary Endpoint in Adjuvant Melanoma Trial

November 20th 2019

The combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab did not show a statistically significant improvement in recurrence-free survival compared with single-agent nivolumab as an adjuvant treatment for patients who have had complete surgical removal of stage IIIB/C/D or stage IV melanoma and whose tumors expressed PD-L1

Vemurafenib/Cobimetinib Shows Long-Term OS Benefit in BRAF+ Melanoma

November 19th 2019

The combination of vemurafenib and cobimetinib led to a 5-year overall survival rate of nearly 40% in patients with BRAF V600E–mutant metastatic melanoma who had not received prior therapy with a BRAF inhibitor.

Dr. Long on Rationale for Nivolumab/Ipilimumab in Patients With Melanoma Who Have Brain Mets

November 14th 2019

Georgina V. Long, BSc, PhD, MBBS, FRACP, discusses the rationale for the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) in patients with melanoma who have brain metastases.

Dr. Polsky on Potential Applications of ctDNA in Melanoma

November 9th 2019

David Polsky, MD, PhD, discusses potential applications of circulating tumor DNA as a biomarker in melanoma.

Dr. Luke on Treatment Options in Metastatic Melanoma

November 8th 2019

Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, discusses the treatment landscape of metastatic melanoma.

Dr. Daud on Interferon Gamma as a Biomarker in Melanoma

November 8th 2019

Adil Daud, MD, clinical professor, Department of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology) and director, Melanoma Clinical Research, University of California, San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses research evaluating interferon gamma as a potential biomarker of response in melanoma.

Adjuvant Immunotherapy Combinations on Horizon for Melanoma

November 8th 2019

Quickly following on the approval of single agents, adjuvant immunotherapy combinations are quickly progressing through development, with promising signs of clinical activity seen in phase II studies, according to a presentation by Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, at the 37th Annual CFS®.

Dr. Weber on Biomarker Data From CheckMate-238 for Melanoma

November 7th 2019

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, discusses biomarker research in the CheckMate-238 trial looking at patients with resected stage III/IV melanoma.

Dr. Long on Including Patients With Melanoma Who Have Brain Mets on Clinical Trials

November 5th 2019

Georgina V. Long, BSc, PhD, MBBS, FRACP, discusses how to efficiently enroll patients with melanoma who have brain metastases in clinical trials.

Dr. Weber on the Future of Checkpoint Inhibitors in Melanoma

October 25th 2019

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, discusses the future of checkpoint inhibitors in melanoma.

European Commission Approves 4-Week Nivolumab Dosing Schedule in Adjuvant Melanoma

October 24th 2019

The European Commission has approved nivolumab at a flat dosing schedule of either 240 mg over 30 minutes every 2 weeks, or 480 mg infused over 60 minutes every 4 weeks, for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma who have involvement of lymph nodes or metastatic disease who have undergone complete resection.

Novel Immunotherapy Combos Target GITR to Step on the Gas

October 22nd 2019

Immunotherapies designed to exploit the host immune system to specifically target cancer cells exploded onto the oncology scene in the mid-1980s, when the first such agents started to show success in melanoma and renal cell carcinoma.