Sun safety declining in Canada amid rise in skin cancer cases

 A recently completed study from McGill University indicates a growing number of Canadians using less sun protection amidst increasing sun exposure time, resulting in rising cases of melanoma.  According to the study, "75% of adult Canadians reported spending at least 30 minutes in the sun...with nearly half staying out for 2 hours or more".  In addition, most of the Canadians polled admitted to irregular or no use of sunscreen, with 33% of those polled experiencing sunburn. 

To learn more about this study, click here. 

Source mentioned: 

Amina Moustaqim-Barrette, Hibo Rijal, Santina Conte, Mahan Maazi, Johnny Hanna, Alexandra Sarah Victoria Kelly, Alicia Belaiche, Alyson McKenna, Sandra Pelaez, François Lagacé, Ivan V Litvinov - Evaluating UV exposure and skin cancer prevention behaviours in Canada: a national population-based cross-sectional study: BMJ Public Health 2025;3:e001983.

EMA recommends extension of therapeutic indications for encorafenib and binimetinib

 The European Medicine Agency (EMA) has recommended a change to marketing authorization for encorafenib and binimetinib for the treatment of adults with non-small cell lung cancer.  These drugs, when used in combination, as well as the drug cetuximab, may also be used to treat metastatic melanoma and metastatic colorectal cancer. 

To learn more about this recommendation, click here. 

Adjuvant dabrafenib plus trametinib associated with better RFS and DMFS than placebo among patients with resected stage III melanoma with BRAF V600 mutations

 Results of the COMBI-AD study, compiled after almost 10 years of follow-up analysis, has concluded that "12 months of adjuvant treatment with dabrafenib plus trametinib was associated with better relapse-free survival and distant metastasis than placebo among patients with resected stage III melanoma."  Further risk of death was 20% lower via the combined drug regimen compared to placebo. In addition, the COMBI-AD trial indicated overall survival after 3 years at 86% when patients were administered dabrafenib together with trametinib, compared to 77% when given a placebo. 

To learn more about the COMBI-AD study, click here. 

Source mentioned: Long GV, Hauschild A, Santinami M, et al. Final Results for Adjuvant Dabrafenib plus Trametinib in Stage III Melanoma. NEJM; Published online 19 June 2024. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2404139

Cost of care discussions rarely documented for patients with advanced cancer

 A recently completed population study by researchers at the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute shows "cost discussions were infrequently documented in medical records" of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma.  According to lead study author Dr. Robin Yabroff, scientific vice president of health services research at the American Cancer Society, cost discussions were noted in only 20.3% of non-small cell lung cancer and 24% of melanoma patients.  

To read more about this study, click here. 

Study mentioned: Yabroff KR, Mittu K, Halpern MT. Cost-of-care discussions for individuals with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma: Findings from a large, population-based pilot study. Cancer. 2024 Jun 13. doi: 10.1002/cncr.35380. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38869706.

Online tool predicts RFS and OS probabilities in patients with stage II melanoma

A new model created by Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA), further described and discussed in a recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, has been shown to "predict recurrence-free survival and overall survival in patients with a primary cutaneous melanoma considerably better" than what is described in cancer staging manuals.  Study authors further concluded that the MIA model can be used in daily practice without the need to conduct sentinel node biopsy, even for high-risk patients.  

To learn more about the MIA model, click here. 

Study mentioned: 

Varey AHR, Li I, El Sharouni M-A, et al. Predicting Recurrence-Free and Overall Survival for Patients With Stage II Melanoma: The MIA Calculator. JCO; Published online 5 February 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.23.01020

Adjuvant pembrolizumab improves quality of life in patients with high-risk resected melanoma

 Results of the SWOG S1404 phase III randomized clinical trial were recently published in JAMA Oncology.  According to trial, "pembrolizumab provides superior clinical and patient-reported quality-of-life outcomes compared to standard care with adjuvant ipilimumab or high-dose interferon for high-risk resected melanoma."  Conducted on 1303 patients, with a variety of genders and racial backgrounds, the SWIG S1404 trial emphasized the important of physicians discussing quality-of-life issues with patients "when making shared decisions regarding the risks and benefits of adjuvant treatment in resected melanoma."  

Source mentioned: Unger JM, Darke A, Othus M, et al. Effectiveness of Adjuvant Pembrolizumab vs High-Dose Interferon or Ipilimumab for Quality-of-Life Outcomes in Patients With Resected Melanoma A Secondary Analysis of the SWOG S1404 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Oncology; Published online 23 November 2022. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2022.5486

Dual inhibition of LAG-3 and PD-1 in patients with previously untreated metastatic or unresectable melanoma

 Findings from a recent phase II/III trial, RELATIVITY-047, evaluating "dual inhibition of LAG-3 and PD-1 using a new combination of LAG-3-blocking antibody relatlimab and PD-1 blocking antibody nivolumab..." were published by the Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in The New England Journal of Medicine.  A cell surface molecule expressed on immune cells, LAG-3 "negatively regulates T-cell proliferation and effector T-cell function."  The RELATIVITY-047 study evaluated relatlimib and nivolumab together as a fixed dose regimen compared to patients receiving only nivolumab alone over a 4 week period in patents with untreated metastatic or unresectable melanoma.  Progression free survival was 10.1 months in patients receiving the relatlimab-nivolumab combination vs 4.6 months for those only being administered nivolumab. 

To read more about this trial, click here. 

Sources mentioned

• Tawbi HA, Schadendorf D, Lipson EJ, et al. Relatlimab and Nivolumab versus Nivolumab in Untreated Advanced Melanoma. N Engl J Med 2022;386:24-34. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2109970
• Frampton AE, Sivakumar S. A New Combination Immunotherapy in Advanced Melanoma. N Engl J Med 2022;386:91-92. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe2116892

Clinical trial alert: Long-term outcomes from the Checkmate 067 study patients with advanced melanoma

Data collected over 6.5 years fro the CheckMate 067 on clinical outcomes with nivolumab plus ipillimumab or nivolumab vs. impillimumab in patients with advanced melanoma, was recently reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.  Overall survival rates (with minimum 6.5 year follow-up was "72.1, 36.9, and 19.9 months in the combination, nivolumab, and ipillimumab groups, respectively."  For patients who discontinued treatment, median treatment-free survival was 27.6, 2.3, and 1.9 months. 

To learn more about CheckMate 067, click here.  

Study mentioned: Wolchok JD, Chiarion-Sileni V, Gonzalez R, et al. Long-Term Outcomes With Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab or Nivolumab Alone Versus Ipilimumab in Patients With Advanced Melanoma. JCO; Published online 24 November 2021. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.21.02229

Largest real world database of immune checkpoint inhibitors in melanoma

Results of the largest real world dataset in metastatic melanoma via uptake of immune checkpoint inhibitors was presented at the 2020 ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium in Orlando Florida, February 6-8, 2020.  The dataset, comprised of 5465 melanoma patients studied between April 2014 - March 2018 reports that 2322 of the 5465 patients received first-line treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (1174 were administered pembrolizumab, 724 ipilimumab, 52 nivolumab, and 372 a combination of both ipilimumab and nivolumab.

To read more about this study, click here.

Source mentioned:  Corrie PG, Chao D, Board R, et al. Metastatic melanoma patient outcomes since introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors in England between 2014 and 2018. J Clin Oncol 2020; 38:(suppl 5; abstr 55).   

Global melanoma deaths up among men, but not women

A new report from the World Health Organization analyzing global melanoma skin can cancer death rates from 1985-2015 indicates that in nearly all 33 countries studied, men had higher melanoma death rates compared to women.  Australia exhibited the largest increase in death rates while Japan registered the lowest.  Further the Czech Republic was the only country of those studies that had a decrease (albeit it only 0.7%) over the 30-year study.  While study author Dr. Dorothy Yang explains that there are a number of biological factors explaining the difference in mortality rates among genders, she does also state that "men are less likely to protect themselves from the sun or engage with melanoma awareness and prevention campaigns."


To read more about this report, click here.

Immune-based therapy for metastatic melanoma that has spread to the brain

New research conducted on 2,700 patients in the U.S. indicates that a form of immunotherapy may provide hope for melanoma cancer that has spread to the brain.  This new form of treatment, known as the Checkpoint Blockade does not involve chemotherapy, but rather "manipulates the patient's immune system so that it targets and destroys the melanoma cells."  Study results indicate that patients receiving the CheckPoint Blockade experienced a rise in overall survival from 5.2 to 12.4 months.


To read more about this study, click here.


Source: Abate-Daga D. Ramello MC, Smalley I, Forsyth PA, Smalley KSM. The biology and therapeutic management of melanoma brain metastases. Biochem Pharmacol 2018 Jul; 153: 35-45.

Dabrafenib–Trametinib combination approved for melanoma, anaplastic thyroid cancer

The use of two targeted drugs, dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist), has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of two different cancers. As of May 4th, the drug combination can be used to treat some patients with advanced melanoma and anaplastic thyroid cancer (an aggressive and rare form of thyroid cancer).

To read more about the drug approval, click here.

Task force issues stronger skin cancer prevention guidelines

A new, revised recommendation issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force suggests that skin cancer advice from physicians to patients should begin earlier, particularly for patients that are light-skinned.  The new guidelines recommend beginning consultations at 6 months, since "children and teens who are exposed to the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation are at greater risk for developing skin cancer in adulthood."

To read more about these new guidelines, click here. 

Medicinal cream may aid in recurrence of skin cancer

A study conducted at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island on 930 U.S. veterans, with an average age of 70, indicates that a generic cream known as 5-FU  can reduce recurrence of skin cancer.  According to study results, "just a month's application of 5-FU (fluorouracil 5%) appeared to have a lasting impact in preventing a recurrence - even after use of the cream was stopped." Despite these findings, many dermatologists caution against the side effects associated with 5-FU, including redness, scaling, irritation and plain, which affects ~ 40% of those applying the medicinal cream.

To read more about this study, click here.

Squamous cell carcinoma increasingly common

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is becoming more common, with dermatology experts warning the public to remain vigilant for warning signs of the disease.  According to Dr. M. Laurin Council, assistant professor of dermatology at Washington University in St. Louis, identifies several signs of possible squamous cell carcinoma, including "a pink or white bump; a rough, scaly patch; or a sore that won't heal."

To read more, click here.

Parkinson's and melanoma may co-occur

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota have unveiled a co-occurring link between Parkinson's disease and melanoma skin cancer. The study, led by Dr. Lauren Dalvin and conducted on 1,000 Parkinson's patients as well as 1,500 patients with melanoma established that individuals with Parkinson's were about 4 times more likely to develop melanoma"; the converse relationship between melanoma patients developing Parkinson's was at the same rate.

To read more about this study, click here.

Sunscreen gene may guard against skin cancer

A new study conducted at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine has identified a "sunscreen" gene that may protect against skin cancer.  According to senior study author Chengyu Liang, the UV-resistant gene was discovered following a study on 340 patients with melanoma.  Liang further explains that this gene "may serve as a biomarker for skin cancer prevention, and lead to new drugs to combat a cancer that leads to more than 10,000 deaths in United States each year.

To read more about this study, click here

Novel strategy isolates immune cells in the blood that recognize melanoma

On March 11, 2016, scientists in NCI’s Center for Cancer Research (CCR) have developed a novel strategy for identifying tumor-reactive and mutation-specific immune cells circulating in the blood of patients with melanoma.

Patients with metastatic melanoma have experienced dramatic tumor regressions in early clinical trials of adoptive cell transfer—a technique in which immune cells are collected from patients, expanded in the laboratory, and infused back into patients to attack the cancer. However, to date, these immune cells have been harvested only from solid tumor tissue, a process that requires invasive surgery and is not always possible. Read more here.