Melanoma & Skin Cancer | Specialty

STING Agonist Plus Atezolizumab Could Expand Immunotherapy Benefit to Nonresponsive Advanced Solid Tumors

November 13th 2020

November 13, 2020 - In an effort to expand the benefit of immunotherapy to nonresponders or those who have relapsed, the novel STING agonist SB 11285 is being evaluated as a monotherapy and in combination with atezolizumab in patients with advanced solid tumors in a phase 1/1b dose-escalation trial.

Intratumoral Electroporation of pIL-12 Plus Pembrolizumab Elicits Durable Responses in PD-1–Refractory Advanced Melanoma

November 13th 2020

November 13, 2020 - The addition of plasmid IL-12 pembrolizumab resulted in durable responses, as well as several complete responses, in patients with advanced melanoma who were refractory to PD-1–directed therapy.

Pembrolizumab Shows Intriguing Benefit in Leptomeningeal Metastasis From Solid Tumors

November 12th 2020

November 12, 2020 — Pembrolizumab led to a 38% central nervous system response rate and was well tolerated in patients with leptomeningeal metastasis from solid tumors. However, the study was closed early due to poor accrual.

Cosibelimab Elicits Early Activity in NSCLC and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

November 12th 2020

November 12, 2020 - The investigational PD-L1 inhibitor cosibelimab demonstrated durable and robust responses in patients with non–small cell lung cancer and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

CMP-001 Plus Pembrolizumab Elicits Deep Responses, Reverses PD-1 Resistance in Advanced Melanoma

November 12th 2020

November 12, 2020 - The combination of CMP-001 intratumoral injection and pembrolizumab was found to reverse PD-1 blockade resistance and elicit durable systemic responses in patients with advanced melanoma.

Cemiplimab Elicits Antitumor Activity in Metastatic Basal Cell Carcinoma

November 12th 2020

November 12, 2020 - Cemiplimab demonstrated clinically meaningful antitumor activity, including durable responses, and acceptable safety in patients with metastatic basal cell carcinoma after progression on or intolerance to hedgehog inhibitors

Cabozantinib/Pembrolizumab Trial Poised to Improve Efficacy, Safety in Advanced Melanoma

November 12th 2020

November 12, 2020 - In an effort to further improve outcomes without sacrificing tolerability, the combination of cabozantinib with pembrolizumab is being evaluated in patients with advanced melanoma in a phase 1b/2 study.

Dr. Weber on the Evolution of Melanoma Treatment

November 5th 2020

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, discusses the evolution of the treatment paradigm in melanoma.

The Art of Choosing Immunotherapy or BRAF-Targeted Treatment for Adjuvant Melanoma

November 5th 2020

There is still a great deal to learn about the optimal use of BRAF-targeted therapy, as well as immunotherapy, in the adjuvant setting for patients with melanoma.

Hunt for Reliable Biomarkers for Immunotherapy Continues in Melanoma

November 5th 2020

Douglas B. Johnson, MD, MSCI, discusses his research examining the impact of body composition on outcomes from anti–PD-1 with or without anti–CTLA-4 therapies in melanoma and other biomarkers under exploration.

Dr. Luke on the Role of Targeted Therapy in Melanoma

November 4th 2020

Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, discusses the role of targeted therapy in melanoma.

Stage Is Set for Continued Progress in the Melanoma Clinic

November 4th 2020

Unprecedented treatment advances have been made during the last decade for patients with advanced melanoma.

Dr. Gibney on Selecting Between BRAF Inhibitor Regimens in Melanoma

November 2nd 2020

Geoffrey T. Gibney, MD, discusses selecting between BRAF inhibitor regimens in melanoma.

Rapids Readouts: Phase 3 CheckMate 238 Trial

October 30th 2020

Future of Immunotherapy in Melanoma to Focus on Overcoming Resistance, Personalizing Regimens

October 29th 2020

With an estimated 5-year survival rate of 50% and an ongoing issue of resistance, next steps with immunotherapy in melanoma will focus on stratifying patients, personalizing therapy, and refining localized regimens.

Novel Triplets May Overcome Resistance to Targeted Therapy in BRAF+ Melanoma

October 29th 2020

The addition of anti–PD-1/PD-L1 to combination BRAF and MEK inhibition has been shown to improve progression-free survival and duration of response in patients with BRAF-mutated melanoma, suggesting potential to overcome resistance to targeted approaches.

Deeper Understanding of Disease Biology Needed in Melanoma to Move the Needle Forward

October 29th 2020

Jason J. Luke, MD, discusses the recent advancements with BRAF-targeted therapies and PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors in melanoma.

Dr. Luke on the Importance of BRAF in Melanoma

October 28th 2020

Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, discusses the importance of BRAF in melanoma.

Dr. Weber on Results of the COMBI-AD Trial in Stage III BRAF-Mutant Melanoma

October 28th 2020

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, discusses the results of the phase 3 COMBI-AD trial with dabrafenib plus trametinib in patients with resected, stage III BRAF V600E/K–mutant melanoma.

sFRP2 Drives Tumor Growth, Bevacizumab Ineffectiveness in Older Patients With Melanoma

October 28th 2020

sFRP2-mediated angiogenesis offset decreased VEGF-mediated angiogenesis in older patients with cutaneous melanoma compared with younger patients, leading to poorer disease-free survival and overall survival with adjuvant bevacizumab.