Skin Cancer

Nivolumab (Opdivo) is now approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an adjuvant treatment for patients with completely resected melanoma with lymph node involvement or metastatic disease.

Neoadjuvant treatment with the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) demonstrated almost a tripling in objective response rate (ORR) compared with the PD-1 inhibitor alone but at the cost of significant added grade 3 adverse events (AEs) for patients with high-risk resectable melanoma, according to a small study presented at the 2017 SITC Annual Meeting.

Overall, 159 of the 427 tanning salons were out of compliance, and most of them were in rural locations and southern regions of the United States. Additionally, this was more common in independently owned salons, in states with younger age groups being regulated and in states with more than one tanning regulation.

Jason Luke, MD, assistant professor at the University of Chicago Medicine, discusses what he hopes the future of advanced melanoma treatment will look like.

The FDA has awarded the combination of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) a breakthrough therapy designation for the adjuvant treatment of patients with stage III melanoma with a BRAF V600 mutation following complete resection.

On October 10, 2017, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) posted a draft recommendation statement on education about skin cancer prevention.

Confusion about sunscreen options and ingredients can lead to inadequate sun protection and increased skin cancer risk. The Environmental Working Group has resources to help.

The FDA has approved ipilimumab (Yervoy) for the treatment of patients aged ≥ 12 years with unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

The immunotherapy agent, avelumab (Bavencio) is the first drug to receive approval to treat Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), a rare form of skin cancer. Carrie Best was the first patient to enroll in a clinical trial of avelumab, the first to receive the drug for Merkel cell carcinoma, and the first to become cancer-free.

Even if a patient is being treated for melanoma, they should still be getting examined for new primary melanomas, as well as skin-related adverse events.

For patients with high-risk melanoma, the best option is effective adjuvant therapy which necessitates clincal trials.

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) does not agree with the need for yearly full-body skin exams, which many healthcare providers support.

Increasing awareness of the dangers of sun exposure involves not only patient and caregiver education, but also nurses setting a positive example themselves.

The Environmental Working Group has issued published its 11th annual guide including information on beach and sport sunscreens, moisturizers and lip products containing Sun Protection Factor (SPF).

Overall survival for patient with cutaneous melanoma was significantly lower for non-white patients, indicating a need for more emphasis on screening and awareness in these populations.

Rajni Kannan, BS, MS, RN, APN-BC, discusses the management of patients receiving combination immunotherapy.

While patients with stage III or IV melanoma who received a higher dose of ipilimumab did live longer than those on a lower dose, there was also greater toxicity.

Jose Lutzky, MD, discusses the importance of proactive patient monitoring with patients receiving immunotherapy treatments.

The FDA has granted an accelerated approval to immunotherapy agent avelumab for the treatment of metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma.

Ragini Kudchadkar, MD, explains what nurses should keep in mind when treating patients with basal cell carcinoma.

Robert Andtbacka, MD, CM, notes the importance of treating the patient’s emotional needs, as well as the needs of the patient’s family.

Richard Carvajal, MD, discusses the importance of a multidisciplinary approach when monitoring patients for immunotherapy toxicities.

Dr. Robert Andtbacka explains the important role the nurse plays before and after surgery for melanoma.

Morganna Freeman discusses how nurses can prepare for side effect management in clinical trials.