Randomized, Open-Label, Phase III Study of Tilsotolimod in Combination With Ipilimumab Versus Ipilimumab Alone in Patients With Advanced Refractory Melanoma (ILLUMINATE-301).

Purpose: There are limited treatment options for advanced melanoma that have progressed during or after immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Intratumoral (IT) immunotherapy may improve tumor-specific immune activation by promoting local tumor antigen presentation while avoiding systemic toxicities. The phase 3 ILLUMINATE-301 study (ClinicalTrials.

Acral Lentiginous Melanoma. Part I. Epidemiology, Etiology, Clinical Presentation, and Diagnosis.

This review article focuses on acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM), a rare cutaneous malignancy and the least common subtype of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). ALM exhibits distinct characteristics, such as low overall mutation rates and increased chromosomal alterations. It is associated with worse prognosis, more advanced disease, and lower survival rates compared to other CMM subtypes.

Acral Lentiginous Melanoma. Part II. Staging, Surgical Management, The Role of Systemic Therapy, Shortcomings and Future Directions.

This comprehensive review navigates the clinical management and challenges of acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM), including staging, surgical interventions, and systemic therapies. Multimodality treatment and clinical trials are recommended for advanced cases.

Social health, activity behaviors, and quality of life among young adult cancer survivors: Protocol for a prospective observational study.

Approximately 85,000 adolescent and young adults (AYAs; age 15-39) are diagnosed with cancer in the United States annually. Experiencing a cancer diagnosis as an AYA can substantially impact social connections and social health. This paper describes the design and protocol of an observational study to prospectively assess social health and its association with physical activity and quality of life among AYAs after a cancer diagnosis.

Ancestry and somatic profile predict acral melanoma origin and prognosis.

Acral melanoma, which is not ultraviolet (UV)-associated, is the most common type of melanoma in several low- and middle-income countries including Mexico. Latin American samples are significantly underrepresented in global cancer genomics studies, which directly affects patients in these regions as it is known that cancer risk and incidence may be influenced by ancestry and environmental exposures. To address this, here we characterise the genome and transcriptome of 128 acral melanoma tumours from 96 Mexican patients, a population notable because of its genetic admixture.

A paradigm shift in understanding vulvovaginal melanoma as a distinct tumor type compared with cutaneous melanoma.

Objective: Our goal was to compare molecular and immune profiles of vulvovaginal melanoma (VVM) with cutaneous melanoma (CM) and explore the significance of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) agents on survival.

Methods: Samples from VVM and CM tumors underwent comprehensive molecular and immune profiling. Treatment and survival data were extracted from insurance claims data and OS was calculated from time of ICI treatment to last contact.

Influence of Anatomic Locations of T1b Melanomas and Patient Age on Outcomes.

Background: There are no guidelines on when to more strongly recommend sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for T1b melanomas.

Objective: To examine whether anatomic locations of T1b melanomas and patient age influence metastases.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study using data from two hospitals in Los Angeles County from January 2010 through January 2020.

Innate and adaptive immune cell interaction drives inflammasome activation and hepatocyte apoptosis in murine liver injury from immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Immune checkpoints (CTLA4 & PD-1) are inhibitory pathways that block aberrant immune activity and maintain self-tolerance. Tumors co-opt these checkpoints to avoid immune destruction. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) activate immune cells and restore their tumoricidal potential, making them highly efficacious cancer therapies.

Multi-omic profiling reveals discrepant immunogenic properties and a unique tumor microenvironment among melanoma brain metastases.

Melanoma brain metastases (MBM) are clinically challenging to treat and exhibit variable responses to immune checkpoint therapies. Prior research suggests that MBM exhibit poor tumor immune responses and are enriched in oxidative phosphorylation. Here, we report results from a multi-omic analysis of a large, real-world melanoma cohort.

Intraocular Spread of Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia Presenting as a Postoperative Anterior Chamber Opacity after Excisional Biopsy.

We describe a rare case of ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) with intraocular spread after excisional biopsy which presented as a postoperative anterior chamber (A/C) opacity, initially thought to be a hypopyon. A 60-year-old female with history of a right (OD) conjunctival mass involving the cornea, surgically excised and diagnosed as OSSN, presented 2 months postoperatively with an A/C opacity concerning for infection. The patient was prescribed prednisolone acetate and ofloxacin drops postoperatively; topical chemotherapy was not given.

Neoadjuvant-Adjuvant or Adjuvant-Only Pembrolizumab in Advanced Melanoma.

Background: Whether pembrolizumab given both before surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) and after surgery (adjuvant therapy), as compared with pembrolizumab given as adjuvant therapy alone, would increase event-free survival among patients with resectable stage III or IV melanoma is unknown.

Methods: In a phase 2 trial, we randomly assigned patients with clinically detectable, measurable stage IIIB to IVC melanoma that was amenable to surgical resection to three doses of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab, surgery, and 15 doses of adjuvant pembrolizumab (neoadjuvant-adjuvant group) or to surgery followed by pembrolizumab (200 mg intravenously every 3 weeks for a total of 18 doses) for approximately 1 year or until disease recurred or unacceptable toxic effects developed (adjuvant-only group). The primary end point was event-free survival in the intention-to-treat population.

Prevalence and correlates of skin examination among ethnically diverse young adult survivors of childhood cancer.

Background: Skin cancer is the most common secondary malignancy among young adult childhood cancer survivors (YA-CCS). Skin examination to detect skin cancer early (including melanoma as well as basal or squamous cell skin cancers), both physician-based (PSE) and self-skin exam (SSE), is recommended, particularly for radiotherapy-exposed YA-CCS who are at high risk of developing skin cancer.

Methods: Awareness and prevalence of skin examination and demographic, clinical, and healthcare correlates were examined in a population-based sample of YA-CCS with diverse cancer types excluding melanoma.

Social networks of oncology clinicians as a means for increasing survivorship clinic referral.

Background: Specialized cancer survivorship clinics are recommended for addressing treatment-related health concerns of long-term survivors, but their relative newness in medical oncology necessitates strategies to expand services and clinic referrals. This study used social network analysis to identify personal and/or network factors associated with referral of patients to a survivorship clinic.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional social network survey of clinical personnel at a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center.

Development of a core outcome set for basal cell carcinoma.

Background: There is variation in the outcomes reported in clinical studies of basal cell carcinoma. This can prevent effective meta-analyses from answering important clinical questions.

Objective: To identify a recommended minimum set of core outcomes for basal cell carcinoma clinical trials.

Clinical activity of PD-1 inhibition in the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic basal cell carcinoma.

Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common malignancy worldwide, yet the management of patients with advanced or metastatic disease is challenging, with limited treatment options. Recently, programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) inhibition has demonstrated activity in BCC after prior Hedgehog inhibitor treatment.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter, retrospective analysis of BCC patients treated with PD-1 inhibitor therapy.

Factors Associated With Hospitalization Among Breast Cancer Patients With COVID-19: A Diverse Multi-Center Los Angeles Cohort Study.

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 virus has infected and killed millions of people worldwide. Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women and few studies have investigated the outcomes of patients with a history of breast cancer and COVID-19. We report the clinical outcomes of patients with invasive breast cancer who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, including hospitalization and death, and evaluate demographic and cancer-related factors associated with these outcomes.

Cutaneous Malignancies of the Head and Neck.

Cutaneous malignancies (CMs), or skin cancers, are the most common cancer worldwide, with a quarter million cases diagnosed annually in the United States alone. The best described risk factor for CM is ultraviolet radiation from sunlight, and therefore most of these cancers develop in sun-exposed skin, including the head and neck. Beginning with melanoma, immunotherapy has increasingly been used over the past decade for treatment of unresectable CM, and immune checkpoint inhibitors are now Food and Drug Administration-approved for first-line treatment of unresectable melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and second-line for basal cell carcinoma.