Background: Due to limited data on managing immunotherapy-induced secondary adrenal insufficiency (SAI) in melanoma survivors, this study investigated its management strategies and outcomes.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed melanoma patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with SAI (Mel_SAI, n = 161), without SAI (Mel_CON, n = 168), and patients with pituitary adenoma-related SAI (Pit_SAI, n = 106) at our institution from January 2013 to November 2023. We compared glucocorticoid management patterns, quality of life using distress scores, and the impact of different glucocorticoid types on survival outcomes using Kaplan-Meier analysis.
Findings: Mel_SAI received significantly higher initial (median: 30 mg; IQR: 20-30 mg) and maintenance (median: 25 mg; IQR: 20-30 mg) hydrocortisone doses than Pit_SAI (initial: 20 mg; IQR: 15-30 mg; maintenance: 15 mg; IQR: 15-23 mg). Over half of Mel_SAI received prednisone as initial glucocorticoid replacement (n = 89, 55%), compared to 27% (n = 29) of Pit_SAI. Distress scores were significantly higher in Mel_SAI (median: 3; IQR: 2-5) than in Pit_SAI (median: 2; IQR: 1-3), but similar between Mel_CON. Prednisone use was associated with decreased survival in Mel_SAI (hazard ratio: 2.31; 95% CI: 1.14-4.46).
Interpretation: Higher glucocorticoid doses and prednisone use in melanoma patients with SAI may be due to higher distress scores rather than SAI itself. Given the negative impact on survival and potential side effects, we recommend hydrocortisone at standard doses as the preferred glucocorticoid replacement in melanoma patients with SAI.
Funding: None.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102984 | DOI Listing |
Australas J Dermatol
January 2025
The Frazer Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Background: Recent Australian trends indicate that shave biopsies for diagnosing lesions suspicious of melanoma are increasing, yet reasons for this remain relatively unknown. We sought to understand which factors influence Australian clinicians' use of shave biopsy for managing thin lesions suspicious of melanoma in sites of low cosmetic sensitivity.
Methods: We used a convergent, exploratory mixed-methods design, with a cross-sectional online survey (n = 59) and semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 15).
Bull Cancer
January 2025
Palliative Care Unit, ULR 2694 METRICS, CHU de Lille, Université de Lille, 59000 Lille, France.
Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibition has revolutionized the management of metastatic melanoma, including in the final stages of disease progression: because it is well tolerated, some teams do not discontinue it in hopes of slowing disease progression. The risks are that treatment may be continued unnecessarily, causing side effects, and reduce access to specialist palliative care, in addition to increasing the cost of treatment.
Method: We explored the experiences of 10 patients in a university hospital with metastatic melanoma under continued immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with specialist palliative care.
J Immunother Cancer
January 2025
Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Background: The use of tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes (TIL) that recognize cancer neoantigens has led to lasting remissions in metastatic melanoma and certain cases of metastatic epithelial cancer. For the treatment of the latter, selecting cells for therapy typically involves laborious screening of TIL for recognition of autologous tumor-specific mutations, detected through next-generation sequencing of freshly resected metastatic tumors. Our study explored the feasibility of using archived formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) primary tumor samples for cancer neoantigen discovery, to potentially expedite this process and reduce the need for resections normally required for tumor sequencing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Pharm
January 2025
College of Pharmacy, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China. Electronic address:
Advanced cancer patients face a high risk of sepsis due to immune suppression and infection susceptibility. To tackle this challenge, we developed an innovative animal model that simulates the clinical scenario of late-stage cancer complicated by sepsis and designed a sialic acid (SA)-modified paclitaxel (PTX) liposome (PTX-SAL). This formulation specifically targets overactivated peripheral blood neutrophils (PBNs) by binding to L-selectin on their surface.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJNCI Cancer Spectr
January 2025
University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Preventive Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Sex differences in melanoma are prominent, with females having a significant survival advantage. However, it is unclear why we see this survival advantage. Here we investigate the relationship between sex, clinicopathologic variables, and melanoma specific survival in 1,753 single primary melanomas from patients in the GEM study.
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