Melanoma treatment

IFx-Hu2.0 was designed to encode part of the Emm55 protein contained within a plasmid in a formulation intended for transfection into mammalian cells. IFx-Hu2.0 promotes both adaptive and innate immune responses in animal studies. Furthermore, previous studies have demonstrated safety/efficacy in equine, canine, and murine species. We present the first-in-human study of IFx-Hu2.0, administered by intralesional injection into melanoma tumors of seven patients with stage III/IV unresectable melanoma. No dose-limiting toxicities attributable to IFx-Hu2...

A planar conjugated ligand functionalized with bithiophene and its Ru(II), Os(II), and Ir(III) complexes have been constructed as single-molecule platform for synergistic photodynamic, photothermal, and chemotherapy. The complexes have significant two-photon absorption at 808 nm and remarkable singlet oxygen and superoxide anion production in aqueous solution and cells when exposed to 808 nm infrared irradiation. The most potent Ru(II) complex Ru7 enters tumor cells via the rare macropinocytosis, locates in both nuclei and mitochondria, and regulates DNA-related chemotherapeutic mechanisms intranuclearly including DNA topoisomerase and RNA polymerase inhibition and their synergistic effects with photoactivated apoptosis, ferroptosis and DNA cleavage...

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the developments in the testing of Kirsten Rat Sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) and v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF) mutations across different cancer types and regions in Denmark from 2010 to 2022. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Using comprehensive data from the Danish health registries, we linked molecular test results from the Danish Pathology Registry with cancer diagnoses from the Danish National Patient Registry between 2010 and 2022...

BACKGROUND: Increasing melanoma incidence with less increasing mortality is observed in several countries. This discrepancy is not well understood. OBJECTIVE: In this study, our aim was to discuss factors (UV exposure, melanoma treatment, diagnostic activity, overdiagnosis, pathologists' diagnostic threshold and clinicians' propensity to remove suspect skin lesions) that may influence melanoma incidence and mortality in Denmark. METHODS: This was a register study with the number of melanocyte-related lesions and melanoma mortality based on comprehensive national pathology and mortality databases for the period 1999-2019...

A 7-year-old Lhasa Apso presented with a history of left thoracic limb lameness and neck pain. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a well-defined, extradural lesion that was hyperintense on T1-weighted (T1W) images and isointense on T2-weighted (T2W) images and T2* images located at the left lamina of the C4 vertebra. Computed tomography showed an isoattenuating and contrast-enhancing mass centered on the left C4 vertebral lamina with associated osteolysis. The mass was surgically debulked, and histopathology revealed a malignant melanocytic tumour...

BACKGROUND: The clinical appearance of acral melanoma is diverse and can cause diagnostic difficulties in individual cases. CASE DESCRIPTION: We present a clinical case of an 83-year-old patient with a melanoma in the heel area that was initially interpreted as a pressure ulcer, resulting in delayed and more complicated treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Melanomas should be included in the differential diagnosis even in "typical" pressure ulcer areas...

Considering the high recrudescence and the long-lasting unhealed large-sized wound that affect the aesthetics and cause dysfunction after resection of maxillofacial malignant skin tumors, a groundbreaking strategy is urgently needed. Photothermal therapy (PTT), which has become a complementary treatment of tumors, however, is powerless in tissue defect regeneration. Therefore, a novel multifunctional sodium nitroprusside and Fe2+ ions loaded microneedles (SNP-Fe@MNs) platform was fabricated by accomplishing desirable NIR-responsive photothermal effect while burst releasing nitric oxide (NO) after the ultraviolet radiation for the ablation of melanoma...

BACKGROUND: Uveal melanoma (UVM) is the most common primary intraocular tumor in adults, with a median survival of 4-5 months following metastasis. DNA damage response (DDR) upregulation in UVM, which could be linked to its frequent activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway, contributes to its treatment resistance. We have reported that embryonic stem cell microenvironments (ESCMe) can revert cancer cells to less aggressive states through downregulation of the PI3K signaling, showing promise in modulating the DDR of UVM...

BACKGROUND: Ocular surface disorder after ocular radiation therapy, even though commonly reported, is often overlooked. Any delay in diagnosis may lead to complications that threaten vision. The presented case highlights the clinical outcome of a severe post-radiation disorder of the ocular surface, the importance of intensive therapy, and the limitations of further surgical interventions. CASE PRESENTATION: A 34-year-old woman was referred for a second opinion due to a years-long history of pain and redness in her right eye (OD) after proton beam therapy for recurrent iris melanoma...

BACKGROUND: Patients with solid organ transplant (SOT) and solid tumors are usually excluded from clinical trials testing immune checkpoint blockers (ICB). As transplant rates are increasing, we aimed to evaluate ICB outcomes in this population, with a special focus on lung cancer. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study collecting real data of ICB use in patients with SOT and solid tumors. Clinical data and treatment outcomes were assessed by using retrospective medical chart reviews in every participating center...

BACKGROUND: Tumor staging plays a pivotal role in melanoma management, where the depth of tumor invasion has been traditionally used as the cornerstone of staging. Paradoxically, the tumor diameter has not been integrated into the staging system. The aim of this study is to elucidate the clinical implications and prognostic value of tumor diameter in cutaneous melanoma, with a particular emphasis on the acral-melanoma predominant East Asian population, thus potentially enriching the clinical evaluation and treatment strategies for cutaneous melanoma...

Dear Editor, Ticks carry many diseases, bacteria, and viruses and represent a very important healthcare issue both in Croatia and globally. Although most ticks are not infected with pathogens dangerous to humans, some ticks can transmit infectious diseases with significant morbidity and mortality. This is caused by the increasing incidence of many tick-borne diseases over a growing geographical area. Many factors influence which species of ticks are present in a given geographical area, as well as the density of their population and the risk of human exposure to infected ticks...

Mycosis fugnoides (MF) is an indolent cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTLC) and is the most common of all cutaneous lymphomas. An increased risk for developing a second primary malignancy in patients with CTCL has been described in several studies, with a range from 1.04 to 2.4 (1-4). Caucasian males are at higher risk for MF development. MF is often diagnosed at ages between 55 and 67 years, and second malignancy usually occurs 5 or 6 years after the diagnosis of MF was established (5). The most common second primary malignancies include non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), lung carcinoma, bladder carcinoma, and melanoma...

BACKGROUND: Colitis was the third most common immune-related adverse effect in melanoma patients treated with immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI). With the limitation of real-world data in the UK population, this study was conducted in a UK hospital where a fresh colitis guidance was introduced to evaluate the overall grading (OG) to assess colitis severity and guide the treatment. AIMS: This study aimed to investigate colitis severity by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) grade and overall grade at time of presentation...

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous melanoma (CM) of the skin stands as the leading cause of mortality among skin cancer-related deaths. Despite the successes achieved with novel therapies such as immunotherapy and targeted therapy, their efficacy remains limited, necessitating further exploration of new treatment modalities. The gut microbiota and CM may be linked, as indicated by a growing body of preclinical and observational research. Nevertheless, the exact correlation between the intestinal microbiota and CM remains to be determined...

Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), a conserved secreted glycoprotein, plays crucial roles in regulating various biological processes. SPARC is highly expressed and has profound implications in several cancer types, including melanoma. Understanding the mechanisms that govern SPARC expression in cancers has the potential to lead to improved cancer diagnosis, prognosis, treatment strategies, and patient outcomes. Here, we demonstrate that histone deacetylase 10 (HDAC10) is a key regulator of SPARC expression in melanoma cells...

Every year in Europe over 150,000 new cases of melanoma are reported and over 25,000 lives are lost to this tumor. Incidence has been rising rapidly, faster than for any other cancer, and it is expected to continue to do so in most regions. Mortality also crept up, decades-long, with only few very recent exceptions. Thus, melanoma remains a public health problem that will not go away soon, nor easy. Some notable progress has been made in the last decade in the fight against this tumor. Registration and reporting for skin cancers improved across Europe...

BACKGROUND: The immune status of a patient's tumor microenvironment (TME) may guide therapeutic interventions with cancer immunotherapy and help identify potential resistance mechanisms. Currently, patients' immune status is mostly classified based on CD8+tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. An unmet need exists for comparable and reliable precision immunophenotyping tools that would facilitate clinical treatment-relevant decision-making and the understanding of how to overcome resistance mechanisms...

INTRODUCTION: Sarcoid-like reactions (SLRs) to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a rare but increasingly recognized immune-related adverse event of which the clinical significance is unclear. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study at a tertiary academic center of consecutive patients who received at least one dose of ICI from 2013-2020. Patient characteristics, risk factors, and outcomes were compared between patients with and without SLR following ICI treatment...

Melanoma case reports show variations in treatment by age and sex.