SKIN CANCERS

Ragini Kudchadkar, MD, discusses the overall prognosis of patients with ocular melanoma.

Georgina V. Long, BSc, PhD, MBBS, FRACP, discusses the design and efficacy of the phase III CheckMate 067 trial for patients with advanced melanoma.<br /> &nbsp;

Exposure to ruxolitinib, hydroxyurea, and pipobroman as first-line treatment of Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms alone or in combination with other cytoreductive treatment may increase the probability of patients developing non-melanoma skin cancer, highlighting a need for active dermatological surveillance of these patients, according to findings from the MPN-K study, published in&nbsp;Leukemia.

Treatment with&nbsp;<a>STP705</a>&nbsp;led to the achievement of complete histological clearance of squamous cell carcinoma&nbsp;<em>in situ</em>&nbsp;in a large proportion of patients, meeting the primary end point of the study, according to an interim analysis of the first 3 cohorts in an ongoing phase II clinical trial in patients with non-melanoma skin cancer announced by Sirnaomics Inc.

The FDA has accepted and granted a priority review to a supplemental Biologics License Application for pembrolizumab for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with unresectable or metastatic solid tumors with tissue tumor mutational burden-high who have progressed following prior treatment and who have no satisfactory alternative treatment options.

In an interview with&nbsp;Targeted Oncology, Richard D. Carvajal, MD, discussed the challenges of conducting clinical trials for the treatment of patients with uveal melanoma, as well as the excitement surrounding 2 potential therapies in this space.

An association was found between a lower risk of grade 3 or higher chemotherapy toxicity with higher body mass indexes and normal albumin, a protein made in the liver, levels in older adult patients with solid tumors, according to an analysis of a prospective, multicenter study.

A sudden surge in the cases of COVID-19 due to pandemic, along with efforts to contain it, has led to multiple challenges that no country has experienced in the last several decades. The global pandemic from COVID-19 poses a unique set of challenges not only for patients with cancer who need their treatment, but also for caregivers, oncologists, and the overall care team.

The mortality rate for cutaneous melanoma was significantly reduced between 2013 to 2016 as a result of new targeted therapies for metastatic disease, according to a recent report in the American Journal of Public Health.&nbsp;It is the largest death decline ever recorded for skin cancer.

In an interview with&nbsp;Targeted Oncology, Kashyap Patel, MD, discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of new precautions in his practice as the number of COVID-19 infected persons rises in the state.<br /> &nbsp;

Patients harboring IDH1/2 muta&shy;tions may receive benefit by the use of PARP inhibitors, with investigators initi&shy;ating clinical trials in patients across multiple different tumor types to determine the efficacy of this strategy.

Treatment with pembrolizumab demonstrated antitumor activity along with tolerable toxicity in patients with 4 different rare and hard-to-treat malignancies, according to results from a phase II study led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center researchers and published in the&nbsp;Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.

Adjuvant ipilimumab at a dose of 3 mg/kg demonstrated a survival benefit in patients with resected high-risk melanoma compared with high-dose interferon alfa-2b, according to the findings for a phase III E1609 clinical trial from the North American Intergroup.

David Polsky, MD, PhD, discusses methods to identify circulating tumor DNA in patients with melanoma.

From 2001 to 2017, the cancer death rates continued to decline in the United States, and these decreases were observed in all major racial and ethnic groups, as well as in males, females, adolescents, young adults, and children. However, the rates of cancer incidence for all cancers slightly increased in females from 2012 to 2016, according to the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, which was published in&nbsp;Cancer.^&nbsp;

The FDA has accepted a Biologics License Application for MYL-1402O, a proposed biosimilar to bevacizumab, according to a press release from co-developers Biocon and Mylan. The BLA is seeking approval for the biosimilar as a treatment for multiple types of cancer and the FDA has set an action date goal of December 27, 2020, for a decision on the BLA.

As the new coronavirus disease 2019 creates problems internationally, health-wise and economically, it is also becoming a cause for concern throughout the oncology community.

In February 2020, the FDA gave indications to multiple therapies meant for treatment of solid tumor and hematologic malignancies. FDA action included 10 Priority Reviews, 2 Breakthrough Therapy designations, and 2 Fast Track designations.

Cemiplimab is an active treatment option for locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and has an acceptable safety profile, according to the results of an international phase II open-label study published recently in Lancet Oncology.

Adjuvant treatment with talimogene laherparepvec in patients with resectable advanced melanoma demonstrated better recurrence-free survival and overall survival compared with surgery alone, according to results of a study presented at a poster session at the 16th International Congress of the Society for Melanoma Research.

To help clinicians cope with an increasing number of geriatric patients with cancer, the Association of Community Cancer Centers is addressing this problem with a 2-pronged approach that focuses on the delivery of care and diagnostic assessment.

Craig L. Slingluff, MD, explains the rationale behind part B1 of the MAVIS study , which is investigating the use of the Seviprotimut-L&nbsp;vaccine in melanoma.

Performing a liquid biopsy of circulating tumor cells may help identify patients who are at risk for node-positive melanoma relapse and identify patients who wish to avoid the toxicities associated with systemic adjuvant therapy, according to the results of a prospective study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, which was recently published in&nbsp;Clinical Cancer Research.

In a phase II trial, the combination of lenvantinib and pembrolizumab demonstrated a manageable safety profile and encouraging antitumor activity in patients with selected advanced solid tumors.&nbsp;The decision to combine the agents was based on preclinical data, which suggested that VEGF and FGF signaling may enhance the therapeutic efficacy of lenvatinib.

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, compares the toxicity profiles of BRAF-targeted therapy and immunotherapy used for the treatment of patients with melanoma.

In an interview with&nbsp;Targeted Oncology, Pier Francesco Ferrucci, MD, discussed the findings from the updated analysis, which he shared in a presentation at the 16th International Congress of the Society for Melanoma Research, highlightening the important takeaways from this follow-up analysis.

Integrating a geriatric assessment into the care of older adults who are receiving cancer treatment in communi&shy;ty oncology practices improves patient and caregiver satisfaction and encourages commu&shy;nication about aging-related concerns, accord&shy;ing to results of a clinical trial that enrolled 541 patients with advanced cancer.

The present and future benefits of telehealth in oncology can be observed through Tahoe For&shy;est Cancer Center and its affiliation with the UC Davis Cancer Center, use of other remote clinics, and participation in virtual tumor boards. Even though there are roadblocks to telehealth reaching more locations and more patients, the potential benefit warrants the time needed to get over those hurdles.

Georgina V. Long, BSc, PhD, MBBS, FRACP, discusses the current treatment options that are approved around the world for patients with advanced melanoma. These treatments include both immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, and targeted therapies.

The FDA granted approval to countless treatments across cancer types throughout 2019 until the end of the year, with a final approval on December 31^st&nbsp;for the first BRCA targeted therapy in pancreatic cancer. Following the excitement for a new year of further advances,&nbsp;Targeted Oncology&nbsp;followers on Twitter shared their thoughts on some of the most impactful FDA approvals in 2019.