Publications by authors named "L Kandolf-Sekulovic"
Article Synopsis
- * Despite a good prognosis, cSCC leads to many deaths because of its high occurrence, highlighting the importance of ongoing research and treatment recommendations.
- * A group of experts from various European dermatological and oncology organizations has come together to update guidelines on cSCC, focusing on various aspects such as classification, diagnosis, risk factors, and prevention for both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed individuals.
Article Synopsis
- A multidisciplinary panel of experts from various European medical organizations has developed updated recommendations for treating invasive cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) based on a thorough literature review and expert consensus.
- Treatment guidelines cover different stages of cSCC, recommending surgery with clear margins as the primary option for low and high-risk cases, while highlighting the lack of benefit from radiation for high-risk patients with clear margins.
- For advanced cSCC that cannot be surgically treated, anti-PD-1 agents like cemiplimab are recommended as first-line therapy, with second-line options including cetuximab combined with chemotherapy or radiation.
Background: Immunotherapy has been successful in treating advanced melanoma, but a large proportion of patients do not respond to the treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Preclinical and small cohort studies suggest gastrointestinal microbiome composition and exosomal mRNA expression of PD-L1 and IFNγ from the primary tumor, stool and body fluids as potential biomarkers for response.
Methods: Patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors as a first line treatment for metastatic melanoma are recruted to this prospective study.
Aim: ImmunoCobiVem investigated whether a planned switch to atezolizumab after achieving tumour control during run-in with vemurafenib + cobimetinib improves progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to continuous targeted therapy (TT) in patients with previously untreated advanced BRAF-mutated melanoma.
Methods: In this multicenter phase 2 study, patients received vemurafenib plus cobimetinib. After 3months, patients without progressive disease (PD) were randomly assigned (1:1) to continue vemurafenib + cobimetinib (Arm A) or switch to atezolizumab (Arm B) until first documented PD (PD1).
Melanoma is one of the most aggressive tumors, and in the setting of rising incidence and mortality, there is an urgent need to identify new prognostic markers. Toll-like receptors (TLRs), are aberrantly expressed in numerous cancers, including melanoma. TLR signaling provides a microenvironment that is involved in antitumor immune response, chronic inflammation, cancer cell proliferation and evasion of immune destruction.
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