The Treatment of Advanced Melanoma: Therapeutic Update

Abstract

Cutaneous melanoma is the main cause of death for skin cancer. The majority of patients with a diagnosis of melanoma have localized disease, which can be successfully treated with surgical treatment. However, the surgical approach is not curative for advanced melanoma (AM). Indeed, the management of AM is still challenging, since melanoma is the solid tumor with the highest number of mutations and cancer cells have the capacity to evade the immune system. In the past, the treatment of AM relied on chemotherapeutic agents, without showing efficacy data. Recent knowledge on melanoma pathogenesis as well as the introduction of immunotherapies, targeted therapies vaccines, small molecules, and combination therapies has revolutionized AM management, showing promising results in terms of effectiveness and safety. The aim of this review is to assess and to discuss the role of emerging therapies for AM management in order to obtain a complete overview of the currently available treatment options and future perspectives.

Effects of COVID‐19 pandemic on malignant melanoma diagnosis

“…Dear Editor, Melanoma is the main cause of death from skin cancer. 1 Its stage at the moment of the diagnosis, particularly primary tumour thickness, is the main prognostic factor, leading to the need for an early diagnosis and treatment. 1 Restrictive measures adopted during COVID-19 pandemic in order to avoid infection spreading led to a reduction in the number of accesses in dermatologic clinics.…”

“…1 Its stage at the moment of the diagnosis, particularly primary tumour thickness, is the main prognostic factor, leading to the need for an early diagnosis and treatment. 1 Restrictive measures adopted during COVID-19 pandemic in order to avoid infection spreading led to a reduction in the number of accesses in dermatologic clinics. 2,3 We read with great interest the article recently written by Balakirski et al 4 evaluating the long-term effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the detection and dermatosurgical treatment of melanoma, and we also want to report the experience of our third-level centre for 'Melanoma Diagnosis and Prevention.…”

Cutaneous Reactions Following COVID-19 Vaccination: A Review of the Current Literature

“…222 Dermatologists had to change their clinical routine in order to avoid the reduction in detection and treatment of several conditions, particularly skin cancer. [223][224][225][226][227] Among these, teledermatology allowed physicians to continuously assist patients' dermatologic conditions with excellent results in terms of treatment adherence and clinical outcomes. [228][229][230] Vaccination campaign is the most important strategy showing excellent results in terms of safety and effectiveness.…”

TIMM13 as a prognostic biomarker and associated with immune infiltration in skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM)

“…Melanin-producing melanocytes in the skin are transformed into melanoma cells through malignant transformation ( 2 ). More than 75% of skin cancer deaths are caused by melanoma, even though it represents only 5% of all skin cancer cases ( 3 ). Cutaneous melanoma is considered the most aggressive type of skin cancer ( 4 ).…”