The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to bempegaldesleukin (NKTR-214; Nektar Therapeutics and Bristol-Myers Squibb) in combination with nivolumab (Opdivo; Bristol-Myers Squibb) for the treatment of patients with previously untreated unresectable or metastatic melanoma.
With the exception of those enrolled in a clinical trial, all patients in this study received systemic monotherapy as first-line treatment of metastatic melanoma.
A comparison of AEDs finds that while most were not associated with skin cancer, carbamazepine and lamotrigine were associated with squamous cell carcinoma.
Researchers suggest using novel therapies that act by a distinct mechanism of action to boost durable response rates in patients with treatment-resistant metastatic melanoma.
In this study, approximately one-third of patients receiving the combination of a BRAF and a MEK inhibitor following anti-PD-1 therapy required hospitalization due to an adverse event.
Female gender and ulceration were among the variables found to be predictive of a positive CLND in patients with melanoma characterized by a positive sentinel lymph node.
