Novel response to neoadjuvant anti-PD1 therapy for a patient with retrocaval melanotic schwannoma

ola Kala shared this article with you from Inoreader Novel response to neoadjuvant anti-PD1 therapy for a patient with retrocaval melanotic schwannoma Μέσω Melanoma Research - Current Issue Melanotic schwannoma is a rare nerve sheath tumor composed of melanin-producing Schwann cells with the potential for metastasis. These tumors can be associated with familial tumor syndromes and can cause significant symptoms related to nerve compression and mass effect. Due to the rarity of these lesions, they can be initially misidentified as melanocytomas, pigmented dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, neurofibromas or malignant melanomas. Surgical excision is the mainstay of treatment with limited benefit from adjuvant systemic chemotherapy or radiation. Modern treatments with immune checkpoint blockad e have demonstrated significant improvements in progression-free and overall survival for a variety of cancer histologies; however, anti-PD1 therapy has yet to be evaluated in patients with melanotic schwannoma. This report demonstrates a significant improvement in symptomatology and tumor stability with neoadjuvant anti-PD1 therapy for a retrocaval melanotic schwannoma initially masquerading as malignant melanoma. This report demonstrates the potential benefit of a novel therapeutic option for patients with melanotic schwannoma. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Postapproval trials versus patient registries: comparability of advanced melanoma patients with brain metastases

ola Kala shared this article with you from Inoreader Postapproval trials versus patient registries: comparability of advanced melanoma patients with brain metastases Μέσω Melanoma Research - Current Issue Postapproval trials and patient registries have their pros and cons in the generation of postapproval data. No direct comparison between clinical outcomes of these data sources currently exists for advanced melanoma patients. We aimed to investigate whether a patient registry can complement or even replace postapproval trials. Postapproval single-arm clinical trial data from the Medicines Evaluation Board and real-world data from the Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry were used. The study population consisted of advanced melanoma patients with brain metastases treated with targeted therapies (BRAF- or BRAF- MEK inhibitors) in the first line. A Cox hazard regression model and a propensity score matching (PSM) model were used to compare the two patient populations. Compared to patients treated in postapproval trials (n = 467), real-world patients (n = 602) had significantly higher age, higher ECOG performance status, more often ≥3 organ involvement and more symptomatic brain metastases. Lactate dehydrogenase levels were similar between both groups. The unadjusted median overall survival (mOS) in postapproval clinical trial patients was 8.7 (95% CI, 8.1–10.4) months compared to 7.2 (95% CI, 6.5–7.7) months (P  View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Life-threatening polymyositis with spontaneous hematoma induced by nivolumab in a patient with previously resected melanoma

ola Kala shared this article with you from Inoreader Life-threatening polymyositis with spontaneous hematoma induced by nivolumab in a patient with previously resected melanoma Μέσω Melanoma Research - Current Issue Single-agent anti-PD1 antibodies are usually very well tolerated, but serious toxicity can still occur. Despite the PD-1 pathway seems to be relevant in the pathogenesis of immune-related myositis, anti-PD1-related myositis is generally a rare side effect of the treatment and usually not serious. However, its frequency is likely to increase as the use of immune checkpoint blockades. We present here a case of life-threatening polymyositis with associated spontaneous muscular hematoma in a patient treated with single-agent nivolumab in the adjuvant setting. Spontaneous hematoma is an extremely rare complica tion with unclear etiology of idiopathic myositis. Very few cases have been reported in the literature and their outcome has been often fatal. To our knowledge, this is the first case of autoimmune myositis and spontaneous heamatoma associated with the administration of single-agent checkpoint blockade. Anti-PD1 antibodies have changed the treatment landscape for a number of cancer entities in the past few years. When given as single agent they are usually very well tolerated, but serious rare toxicity can still occur. We present here a case of polymyositis with associated spontaneous muscular hematoma in a patient treated with single agent nivolumab. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Anti-programmed cell death-1 therapy in octogenarian and nonagenarian advanced/metastatic melanoma patients

ola Kala shared this article with you from Inoreader Anti-programmed cell death-1 therapy in octogenarian and nonagenarian advanced/metastatic melanoma patients Μέσω Melanoma Research - Current Issue Immunotherapy with anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) agents is an effective treatment for metastatic melanoma. Octogenarians and nonagenarians represent a significant cohort of melanoma patients. This multicenter retrospective analysis enrolled 499 patients treated with nivolumab or pembrolizumab. Seventy-three patients were aged 80–100, 218 patients were aged 65–79, and 208 patients were View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Safety and efficacy of electrochemotherapy in a series of patients with nonmetastasized primary or recurrent anorectal malignant melanoma

ola Kala shared this article with you from Inoreader Safety and efficacy of electrochemotherapy in a series of patients with nonmetastasized primary or recurrent anorectal malignant melanoma Μέσω Melanoma Research - Current Issue Anorectal malignant melanoma (AMM) is a rare malignant tumor. Surgery remains the gold standard but new adjuvant treatments to allow local sphincter-saving are warranted. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is an alternative to surgery in selected cohorts of patients. To evaluate safety and efficacy of ECT in a retrospective series of patients with primary or recurrent AMM in terms of local disease control, local progression free and overall survival. Seven primary and one recurrent AMM underwent ECT. Patients were followed at 1 and 2 months and at the longest available follow-up with clinical examination and/or ultrasound. One month after ECT 6/8 (75%) patients showed complete response, 1/8 partial response (12.5%) and 1/8 stable disease (12.5%), confirmed at 2 months. Bleeding stopped in all patients, and pain was absent or mild/moderate in all patients. No serious adverse events were observed. At 1 year of follow-up seven out of eight patients were alive (87.5%), four were disease-free and three were alive with disease. At the longest available follow-up (mean 4.9 ± 2.0 years) five out of eight (62.5%) of patients were still alive. Our study showed that ECT is well tolerated and effective in the treatment of patients with anal melanoma with good local control of disease. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Clinical outcomes and secondary glaucoma after gamma-knife radiosurgery and Ruthenium-106 brachytherapy for uveal melanoma: a single institution experience

ola Kala shared this article with you from Inoreader Clinical outcomes and secondary glaucoma after gamma-knife radiosurgery and Ruthenium-106 brachytherapy for uveal melanoma: a single institution experience Μέσω Melanoma Research - Current Issue We retrospectively analyzed data from records of 48 patients (48 eyes) treated with gamma-knife (n = 18) or Ruthenium-106 brachytherapy (n = 30) for uveal melanoma, in our Ocular Oncology Unit between December 2013 and September 2019, with the aim to evaluate treatment outcomes, and incidence and risk factors for secondary glaucoma. Patients demographics and tumor characteristics at diagnosis were recorded. Follow-up data were collected regarding local tumor control, treatment complications, enucleation need, metastases occurrence and survival status. The median follow-up period was 33.7 months in the gamm a-knife group and 26.2 months in the brachytherapy group. The mean tumor thickness, the largest basal diameter and the tumor volume were significantly higher in the gamma-knife group than in the brachytherapy group. The local tumor control rate was 100% in the brachytherapy group and 77.8% in the gamma-knife group. In the gamma-knife group, six patients were enucleated, no patient treated with brachytherapy underwent enucleation. The overall survival rate was 96.7% in the brachytherapy group and 94.44% in the gamma-knife group. Secondary glaucoma occurred in 10 patients after gamma-knife and in one patient after brachytherapy: it should be emphasized that larger lesions were treated with gamma-knife, whereas smaller tumors were selected for brachytherapy. We found a significative correlation of tumor thickness (P value = 0.043) and volume (P value = 0.040) with secondary glaucoma occurrence after gamma-knife treatment. Moreover, secondary glaucoma significantly correlated with radia tion retinopathy in the gamma-knife group (P value = 0.009). This study shows preliminary clinical results that could be useful for further studies with more patients and longer follow-up. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Morphea following treatment with pembrolizumab for melanoma with metastatic lymph nodes: case report and review of literature

ola Kala shared this article with you from Inoreader Morphea following treatment with pembrolizumab for melanoma with metastatic lymph nodes: case report and review of literature Μέσω Melanoma Research - Current Issue Pembrolizumab is a humanized IgG4 isotype mAb that the targets and blocks the programmed cell death protein 1 receptor on lymphocytes. Its use in treating metastatic melanoma is associated with increased overall survival compared to other older immunotherapies. Several adverse effects have been noted including both systemic and cutaneous manifestations. As a relatively novel treatment option, many new cutaneous manifestations are still being observed, occurring at various times after initiation of therapy. Previously noted cutaneous adverse effects include sarcoid-like reactions, rash, and changes in preexisting lesions or scars. Here we present a case in which biopsy-proven morphea developed after completion of pembrolizumab therapy. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.