Skin Cancer

The model consists of 3 metabolism-related genes—carbonic anhydrase 12, acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 3, and synaptojanin 2— that the researchers said could potentially be used as biomarkers and treatment targets in the disease.

Medical oncologist Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, spoke with The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) about how treatment options have improved for more advanced melanoma cases and the role that genetic mutations play in choosing therapy.

The microenvironment of the skin also helps explain why certain ethnicities appear to have a higher risk of melanoma.

Locally advanced or metastatic basal cell carcinoma can be challenging to treat, but programmed death receptor 1 inhibition may hold potential as a tolerable, effective approach in patients of all ages.

The drug yielded partial responses in 2 of 15 patients in this single-arm, phase 2 study.

Data from this new study suggest melanoma cases rose at a slower rate in lower-income countries, but the authors say that may be due to differences in case documentation.

More experienced dermatopathologists were less likely to see overdiagnosis as a significant public health problem, a new survey showed.

Investigators found 6 genes associated with cancer-associated fibroblasts that appear to correlate with response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

Although classic methods of risk stratification still hold value, the authors said genetic analysis holds significant promise.

The finding is important because evidence suggests it is becoming more common for patients to receive care from a general practitioner for skin cancer, versus a surgeon or dermatologist.

Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD, of Florida Cancer Specialists spoke with The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) on risk factors in melanoma, as well as the need for genomic testing and rapid action for a cancer that can progress very quickly.

Inflammatory microenvironments appear to enhance melanoma cells’ ability to control T-cell responses.

Patients with reduced DNA mismatch repair protein expression were more likely to respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), although this study had a small sample size.

Investigators said these differences might help explain why some patients have better outcomes than others with combination immune checkpoint blockades.

It is not yet clear what impact proactive screening might have on health care costs and survival outcomes.

A recent study aimed to fill research gaps regarding skin cancer rates and risk factors in older adults.

The 5-year survival rate over the time period was just 33.8%, the study found.

A new report shows better than 80% concordance between liquid biopsy and tissue biopsy.

Existing research appears to suggest these patients can be treated similarly to patients with other genetic subtypes of cutaneous melanomas.

Autologous tumor lysate particle-loaded dendritic cell (TLPLDC) vaccination is well-tolerated in combination with other immunotherapies, but further research is needed to confirm its efficacy.

New retrospective research found that basal and squamous cell cancers increased by 30% over 15 years.

A large cohort study aimed to find out whether tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, an important biomarker in melanoma, could be an independent prognostic factor for overall survival.

A retrospective study on the combination of a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitor plus programmed cell death-1 blockade added to evidence of efficacy in early trials.

In patients with BRAF-mutated melanoma, achieving a complete response and circulating tumor DNA negativity are promising prognostic markers.

Combination CDK4/6 and MEK inhibitor treatment reduced tumor growth in mouse models of melanoma with acquired resistance to BRAF and MEK inhibition.

The largest known prospective study of patients treated with trametinib plus dabrafenib for unresectable advanced melanoma with BRAF-V600 mutation confirmed the combination’s clinical activity.

A study of patients given first-line metastatic melanoma treatment showed that utilization rates were highest in patients using ipilimumab-containing therapies.

This new analysis of combination treatment with ipilimumab and nivolumab identified factors likely to lead to therapeutic success with the combination.

Patients with BRAF-V600 mutated metastatic melanoma have new treatment options to consider, but scientists are still waiting on additional data to help choose which first-line treatments are best for which patients.