Publications by authors named "O Nieweg"
Background: Although most melanomas drain to the more common major lymph node basins (axilla, groin, neck), rarely they drain to deep SLN locations such as intra-abdominal and intra-thoracic (including intercostal and internal mammary) sites, which pose a higher surgical risk and complexity for procurement. Our study is aimed at determining the rate of positivity and likelihood of recurrence in these nodal sites to guide management decisions for patients with truncal melanomas which drain to these 'deep' SLN locations.
Methods: Retrospective data collected between May 2008 and May 2022 including all patients with truncal melanomas who underwent lymphoscintigraphy resulting in the identification of deep SLNs in intra-abdominal and intra-thoracic sites were included.
Article Synopsis
- This study examines the effectiveness of a risk calculator for predicting sentinel lymph node (SLN) positivity in patients with AJCC T1-T2 melanomas at the Melanoma Institute Australia.
- The analysis compared SLN biopsy rates and positivity between two time periods: before and after implementing the nomogram, with findings showing increased SLN biopsy rates in lower-risk melanoma patients post-nomogram.
- The results suggest that the SLN risk calculator significantly impacts clinical practice, particularly for T1a and higher-risk T1b melanomas, indicating a need for updated guidelines to improve patient selection for SLN biopsies.
Background: Neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) for patients with stage III melanoma achieves high major pathologic response rates and high recurrence-free survival rates. This study aimed to determine how NAST with targeted therapies (TTs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) influences surgical outcomes after lymph node dissection in terms of complications, morbidity, and textbook outcomes.
Methods: Patients who underwent a lymph node dissection after either NAST in a clinical trial or upfront surgery for stage III melanoma between 2014 and 2022 were identified from an institutional research database.
Background: Neoadjuvant dabrafenib plus trametinib has a high pathological response rate and impressive short-term survival in patients with resectable stage III melanoma. We report 5-year outcomes from the phase II NeoCombi trial.
Patients And Methods: NeoCombi (NCT01972347) was a single-arm, open-label, single-centre, phase II trial.
Article Synopsis
- Recent trials showed benefits of using adjuvant systemic therapy (pembrolizumab/nivolumab) for stage IIB or IIC melanoma, but also highlighted risks. Accurate predictions for recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) can help patients balance risks and benefits.
- Researchers created a multivariable risk prediction calculator using data from 3,220 stage II melanoma patients to estimate 5- and 10-year RFS and OS more accurately than the current AJCC-8 staging model.
- The new MIA models demonstrated better prediction accuracy (C-statistics) for RFS and OS compared to AJCC-8 models and were validated externally