Sequencing of Checkpoint or BRAF/MEK Inhibitors on Brain Metastases in Melanoma.

Background: The impact of the order of treatment with checkpoint inhibitors or BRAF/MEK inhibitors on the development of brain metastases in patients with metastatic unresectable V600-mutant melanoma is unknown. The SECOMBIT trial examined the impact of the order of receipt of these treatments in such patients.

Methods: In this three-arm trial, we reviewed patients without brain metastases who received the BRAF/MEK inhibitors encorafenib and binimetinib until they had progressive disease followed by the immune checkpoint inhibitors ipilimumab and nivolumab (arm A); or treatment with ipilimumab and nivolumab until they had progressive disease followed by encorafenib and binimetinib (arm B); or treatment with encorafenib and binimetinib for 8 weeks followed by ipilimumab and nivolumab until they had progressive disease followed by retreatment with encorafenib arm binimetinib (arm C).

Late stage melanoma is hallmarked by low NLGN4X expression leading to HIF1A accumulation.

Background: Despite ongoing research and recent advances in therapy, metastatic melanoma remains one of the cancers with the worst prognosis. Here we studied the postsynaptic cell adhesion molecule Neuroligin 4X (NLGN4X) and investigated its role in melanoma progression.

Methods: We analysed histologic samples to assess the expression and predictive value of NLGN4X in human melanoma.

Correction: Predatory journals: Perception, impact and use of Beall's list by the scientific community-A bibliometric big data study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Dabrafenib plus trametinib in unselected advanced BRAF V600-mut melanoma: a non-interventional, multicenter, prospective trial.

Objective: The efficacy of combined BRAF and MEK inhibition for BRAF V600-mutant melanoma in a broad patient population, including subgroups excluded from phase 3 trials, remains unanswered. This noninterventional study (DATUM-NIS) assessed the real-world efficacy, safety and tolerability of dabrafenib plus trametinib in Austrian patients with unresectable/metastatic melanoma.

Methods: This multicenter, open-label, non-interventional, post-approval, observational study investigated the effectiveness of dabrafenib plus trametinib prescribed in day-to-day clinical practice to patients ( N  = 79) with BRAF V600-mutant unresectable/metastatic melanoma with M1c disease (American Joint Committee on Cancer staging manual version 7), ECOG > 1, and elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH).

Assessing the Performance of a Novel Stool-Based Microbiome Test That Predicts Response to First Line Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Multiple Cancer Types.

The intestinal microbiome is by now an undebatable key player in the clinical outcome of ICI therapies. However, no microbiome profiling method to aid therapy decision is yet validated. We conducted a multi-centric study in patients with stage III/IV melanoma, NSCLC, or RCC receiving ICI treatment.

Predatory journals: Perception, impact and use of Beall's list by the scientific community-A bibliometric big data study.

Beall's list is widely used to identify potentially predatory journals. With this study, we aim to investigate the impact of Beall's list on the perception of listed journals as well as on the publication and citation behavior of the scientific community. We performed comprehensive bibliometric analyses of data extracted from the ISSN database, PubMed, PubMed Central (PMC), Crossref, Scopus and Web of Science.

Suction Drain Volume following Axillary Lymph Node Dissection for Melanoma-When to Remove Drains? A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Postoperative complications such as seroma formation and wound-site infection occur following completion axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) for melanoma. We analyzed the impact of time-to-drain removal and drainage volume on seroma formation after ALND. We retrospectively analyzed data from 118 patients after completion ALND for melanoma.

Real-world outcomes using PD-1 antibodies and BRAF + MEK inhibitors for adjuvant melanoma treatment from 39 skin cancer centers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Background: Programmed death-1 (PD-1) antibodies and BRAF + MEK inhibitors are widely used for adjuvant therapy of fully resected high-risk melanoma. Little is known about treatment efficacy outside of phase III trials. This real-world study reports on clinical outcomes of modern adjuvant melanoma treatment in specialized skin cancer centers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Sequencing of Ipilimumab Plus Nivolumab and Encorafenib Plus Binimetinib for Untreated -Mutated Metastatic Melanoma (SECOMBIT): A Randomized, Three-Arm, Open-Label Phase II Trial.

Purpose: Limited prospective data are available on sequential immunotherapy and BRAF/MEK inhibition for -mutant metastatic melanoma.

Methods: SECOMBIT is a randomized, three-arm, noncomparative phase II trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02631447).

MUG Mel3 Cell Lines Reflect Heterogeneity in Melanoma and Represent a Robust Model for Melanoma in Pregnancy.

Melanomas are aggressive tumors with a high metastatic potential and an increasing incidence rate. They are known for their heterogeneity and propensity to easily develop therapy-resistance. Nowadays they are one of the most common cancers diagnosed during pregnancy.

Loss of Lymphotoxin Alpha-Expressing Memory B Cells Correlates with Metastasis of Human Primary Melanoma.

Activated antigen-experienced B cells play an unexpected complex role in anti-tumor immunity in human melanoma patients. However, correlative studies between B cell infiltration and tumor progression are limited by the lack of distinction between functional B cell subtypes. In this study, we examined a series of 59 primary and metastatic human cutaneous melanoma specimens with B cell infiltration.

Adjuvant anti-PD-1 antibody treatment in stage III/IV melanoma: real-world experience and health economic considerations.

Background: Anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) antibodies have evolved as a new standard of care in the adjuvant treatment of completely resected melanoma. Real-world data on treatment efficacy and safety as well as cost-effectiveness are still limited.

Patients And Methods: Treatment outcomes were retrospectively analyzed in a continuous patient cohort receiving adjuvant nivolumab (91 patients) or pembrolizumab (9 patients).

Circulating Tumor DNA as a Marker for Treatment Response in Metastatic Melanoma Patients Using Next-Generation Sequencing-A Prospective Feasibility Study.

We prospectively performed a longitudinal analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from 149 plasma samples and CT scans in Stage III and IV metastatic melanoma patients ( = 20) treated with targeted agents or immunotherapy using two custom next-generation sequencing (NGS) Ion AmpliSeq™ HD panels including 60 and 81 amplicons in 18 genes, respectively. Concordance of matching cancer-associated mutations in tissue and plasma was 73.3%.