Melanoma

Biomarker expansion has enjoyed a boom since 2006, with patient incidence of positive biomarkers reaching up to 50% in non&ndash;small cell lung cancer and melanoma and 25% in acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes, according&nbsp; to the <em>Global Oncology Trends 2018</em> report.

The phase III IMspire170 trial failed to meet its primary endpoint according to topline results from the study. The combination of atezolizumab and cobimetinib did not improve progression-free survival compared with pembrolizumab in patients with previously untreated<em> BRAF&nbsp;</em>V600 wild-type melanoma.

<em>Targeted Oncology</em>&nbsp;spoke with experts in attendance at the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting to review what they believed were some of the biggest takeaways from this year&#39;s presentation across the fields of lung cancer, breast cancer, GI cancers, genitourinary cancers, melanoma, and multiple myeloma.

Neoadjuvant&nbsp;talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) led to a significant improvement in the 1-year recurrence-free survival rate in patients with resectable advanced melanoma compared with surgery alone, according to a randomized trial presented at the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting.

The investigational PD-1 inhibitor spartalizumab demonstrated a high rate of complete responses in combination with&nbsp;dabrafenib and trametinib in&nbsp;patients with previously untreated advanced&nbsp;<em>BRAF&nbsp;</em>V600&ndash;mutant melanoma. Patients pooled from 2 parts of the 3-part COMBI-i study demonstrated a CR rate of more than 40%.

Keith T. Flaherty, MD, director, Termeer Center for Targeted Therapy, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, shares updated overall survival data from the phase III COLUMBUS trial examining encorafenib plus binimetinib versus vemurafenib or encorafenib in patients with BRAF V600-mutant melanoma.

Updated data from the phase III EORTC 18071 study showed that patients with&nbsp;surgically resected high-risk, stage III melanoma experienced&nbsp;a 25% reduction in the risk of recurrence or death with adjuvant ipilimumab compared with placebo.

According to the latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, cancer death rates have declined in men, women, and children across all cancer types, and have continued to decline between 1999 and 2016. In a special section of this year&rsquo;s report, however, data show that both cancer incidence and death rates were higher in women aged 20 to 49 compared to male counterparts.

Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD,&nbsp;co-physician editor-in-chief of <em>Targeted Therapies in Oncology</em>, highlights&nbsp;a series of exciting results presented across various topics, which affect cancer research and treatment, during the 2019 AACR Annual Meeting.

Investigators across the globe have expended considerable effort attempting to identify mechanisms of response and resistance to ICIs. The general conclusion is that each patient&rsquo;s response to immunotherapy is likely complex and highly individualized.

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, discusses the role of checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment landscape for patients with melanoma.

The FDA has granted tebentafusp (IMCgp100) a fast track designation for the treatment of patients with HLA-A*0201-positive previously untreated metastatic uveal melanoma, according to Immunocore Limited, the company developing the novel immunotherapy agent.

Entinostat in combination with pembrolizumab induced responses in patients with recurrent or metastatic melanoma who have progressed on or after prior anti&ndash;PD-1 therapy, according to results of a phase II trial.

According to new data, survivors of childhood cancer who have lived 5 or more years from their primary malignancy may be up to 30 times more likely to develop a skin malignancy compared with the general population.

Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD, Co-Physician Editor in Chief, <em>Targeted Therapies in Oncology</em>,<em>&nbsp;</em>discusses<em>&nbsp;</em>the<em>&nbsp;</em>evolving<em>&nbsp;</em>role of immunotherapy in melanoma and non&ndash;small cell lung cancer, where by it is now the dominant therapeutic approach in these diseases in progressively earlier lines of therapy.

In his presentation at the 2019 Annual Practical Recommendations in Immuno and Molecular Oncology Meetingi, Sanjiv S. Agarwala, MD, reviewed survival statistics of patients with melanoma being treated at different stages of their disease.

Consuming a diet rich in fiber could boost immunotherapy response in select patients with melanoma,&nbsp;according to early research findings.

Michael A. Postow, MD, shares advice to community oncologists on managing the side effects of immunotherapy in patients with melanoma.

The PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab has gained FDA approval as an adjuvant therapy for patients with&nbsp;high-risk stage III melanoma with lymph node involvement following complete resection.

More men than women are dying from malignant melanoma, according to findings presented at the National Cancer Research Institute Cancer Conference held in Glasgow, United Kingdom.

Genetic aberrations across cancer types were the driving force behind drug approvals in 2018.

Diwakar Davar, MBBS, MSc, discusses how data from the phase I trial of TSR-022, an anti-TIM-3 monoclonal antibody, and TSR-042, an anti-PD-1 agent, impact the treatment of patients with both melanoma and lung cancer.

Nikhil I. Khushalani, MD,&nbsp;discusses the role of adjuvant therapy in patients with melanoma across various subtypes, and also highlights melanoma trials ongoing at Moffitt Cancer Center.<br /> &nbsp;

Jeffrey Weber, MD, PhD, discussed the data in support of discontinuing treatment in melanoma and how to properly follow these patients after they go off treatment.<br /> &nbsp;

Robert Andtbacka, MD,&nbsp;discusses the current use of T-VEC in melanoma and future directions with this type of treatment.