6523 Background: Appropriate surgical treatment of early-stage melanoma yields a high cure rate, but this management can be nuanced. In particular, surgical management, including sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), of thin melanoma (≤1.0mm) is not well-defined. Methods: Biopsies with new melanoma diagnoses were identified electronically and manually reviewed. In a community oncology setting, we organized a review panel of physicians specialized in melanoma from dermatology, medical oncology, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology, and surgical subspecialties (oncology, plastics, head and neck). Patients were assigned to care pathways based on NCCN and ASCO guidelines, including guidance on SLNB for thin melanomas with high-risk features like lymphovascular invasion, high mitotic rate, positive deep margin, and ulceration. These recommendations were documented in the chart and communicated directly to the patients care team. Results: From 11/2016 through 10/2018, our multidisciplinary committee reviewed 3626 patients with new melanoma from 22 sites in our integrated, regional hospital system. Median age was 66 (range 19-99); 60% were male. cT2N0 tumors comprised 7%, cT3 3%, and cT4 2%. Thin melanomas ≤1.0mm represented 71% of cases, of which 34% were ≤0.5mm. SLNB was performed in 9.8% of thin melanomas, and 18% were positive, much higher than historical positive rates of 3-4%. Conclusions: Early case ascertainment and prospective multidisciplinary review in a community oncology setting resulted in increased identification of high-risk thin melanoma, and consequently increased identification of nodal disease through SLNB. Positive SLNB triggers important clinical decision-making regarding need for node dissection versus clinical surveillance, and need for adjuvant therapy, which have been shown to improve survival. This clinical practice structure improved risk-stratification and adherence to national guidelines. We plan to further study the impact of these improvements to melanoma care on disease-free survival and overall survival.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it TX changes for many patients (pts) with AMEL, as it did for other pts with cancer. The long-term impacts of mandated area lockdowns, social distancing, medical society guidelines, and patient preference will not be fully understood for some time. The first step to learning from the pandemic is to assess how AMEL care was rendered in 2020. We performed a retrospective analysis of systemic TX for AMEL in KPNC, an integrated community healthcare system with approximately 4 million pts and about 150 de novo diagnoses of AMEL annually. We performed a chart review of pts with AMEL who were treated with standard of care systemic therapy, either immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) or BRAF/MEK inhibitors (BRAF/MEKi), from January 1 to March 15, 2020, as a control group, and between March 15 and May 20, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in California with follow-up through November 4, 2020. Between January 1 and March 15, 26 pts started palliative ICI of whom 11 started combination PD1 (PD1i) and CTLA4 inhibitors. Among 15 pts who started on single-agent PD1i, 14 pts received short-interval TX (SIT), while 1 started long-interval TX (LIT). All 21 pts who started perioperative PD1i pre-pandemic, started on SIT. Between March 15 and May 20, 21 pts started palliative ICI, of whom only 3 started combination TX. Among pts who started palliative single-agent PD1i 40% started on LIT in this initial phase of the pandemic. 27 pts started perioperative ICI during this time. We found 3 started with neoadjuvant therapy and 78% started on LIT. Among 78 pts who were already on palliative single-agent ICI at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 15% remained on SIT and 24% changed to LIT. Sixteen pts (21%) also interrupted palliative ICI between March 15 and April 15 after a median time on TX of 45 weeks and for 63% the cited reason for interruption on chart review was the COVID 19 pandemic. Three of these pts who stopped ICI changed to BRAF/MEKi, the remainder continue in active follow-up as of November 2020. Among 72 pts already receiving perioperative ICI in March 2020, 19% remained on SIT, 35% changed to LIT, and 11% were already on LIT. 39% of pts interrupted perioperative ICI after a median time of 20 weeks on TX and 46% of these cited COVID 19 as the reason for interruption. Three pts have since resumed peri-operative TX, but the others remain in active follow-up off therapy. Between 3/15 and 5/30/2020, we noted a 325% increase in pts started on BRAF/MEKi; 69% of pts received therapy for palliative intent. The start of the COVID-19 pandemic saw many different changes in AMEL TX in KPNC, with increased use of single-agent ICI, LIT, and oral therapy, in line with public health guidance, oncology societal guidelines and patient preference. It will be important to assess the long-term outcomes relating to these changes, including the impact of early discontinuation of ICI, to help guide future Melanoma care during and after the pandemic. Citation Format: Juraj Kavecansky, Nina Shah, Angeles Price, Frank Hsieh, Alice Kengla, Belinda Ark, Jahan Tavakoli, Christine Kaiser, Mingqing Li, Sejal Jhatakia, Mala Reddy, Dazhi Cen, Philip Sardar, Stephen Wang, Ashok Pai, Andrea Harzstark, Tatjana Kolevska, Thach-Giao Truong. Treatment (TX) of advanced melanoma during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2021 Feb 3-5. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(6_Suppl):Abstract nr P15.
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