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Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2020 May 24:188380. Epub 2020 May 24.

CellCOM Group, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Universidade da Coruña, Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain. Electronic address:

Cellular communication through gap junctions and hemichannels formed by connexins and through channels made by pannexins allows for metabolic cooperation and control of cellular activity and signalling. These channel proteins have been described to be tumour suppressors that regulate features such as cell death, proliferation and differentiation. However, they display cancer type-dependent and stage-dependent functions and may facilitate tumour progression through junctional and non-junctional pathways. Read More

Cancer Causes Control 2020 May 27. Epub 2020 May 27.

Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita-shi, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.

Purpose: The association between smoking and the risk of skin cancers has been studied without reaching consistent findings. This study aims to assess this association through an updated meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Methods: We retrieved cohort studies that investigated the temporal association between smoking and the risk of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and malignant melanoma (MM). Read More

Nanoscale Res Lett 2020 May 19;15(1):113. Epub 2020 May 19.

Department of Dermatology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, China.

Malignant melanoma is a highly aggressive skin cancer responsible for 80% of mortality, and the overall median survival in patients with metastatic melanoma is only 6-9 months. Combination treatment through the simultaneous administration of dual drugs in a single nanocarrier has been demonstrated to be elegant and effective in combatting cancer. Herein, we employ a combination therapy based on dacarbazine (DBZ), FDA approved drug for melanoma and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), promising anticancer agents loaded on lipid nanoformulations (RD-LNF) as a new treatment strategy for malignant melanoma. Read More

J Skin Cancer 2020 27;2020:9061532. Epub 2020 Jan 27.

Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.

Background: Skin cancer is a growing health concern worldwide. It is the most common malignancy in South Africa and places a large burden on the public healthcare sector. There is a paucity of published scientific data on skin cancer in South Africa. Read More

Cancer Med 2020 May 14. Epub 2020 May 14.

Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.

Malignant melanoma (MM) is the most life-threatening disease among all skin malignancies, and recent genome-wide studies reported BRAF, RAS, and NF1 as the most frequently mutated driver genes. While epigenetic aberrations are known to contribute to the oncogenic activity seen in various cancers, their role in MM has not been fully investigated. To investigate the role of epigenetic aberrations in MM, we performed genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of 51 clinical MM samples using Infinium 450k beadarray. Read More

Pharmacol Res 2020 May 10:104841. Epub 2020 May 10.

Department of Dermatology, The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China; Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China. Electronic address:

Circular RNA (circRNA) has been classified as noncoding RNA with a covalent closed continuous loop, the 3'and 5' ends of which are normally joined together to increase its own stability. More recently, circRNA has been shown to encode proteins and may be involved in the regulation of gene transcription. This provides more evidence for the involvement of circRNA in disease progression. Read More

Wien Med Wochenschr 2020 May 7. Epub 2020 May 7.

Onkoderma, Policlinic for Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatologic Surgery, General Skobelev 26, 1606, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Background: Melanomas of the glans penis, prepuce, and the corpus of the penis account for less than 1% of all melanoma cases. Due to this rarity, there is currently no standard treatment approach.

Case Description: We present the case of a 59-year-old patient with tumorous formations in the prepuce area. Read More

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2020 Apr;24(8):4389-4395

Department of Dermatology, People's Hospital of Juye County, Heze, China.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the expression of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) MIR31HG in malignant melanoma (MM), and to investigate its clinical significance.

Patients And Methods: The quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of lncRNA MIR31HG in MM tissues and cells. The relationship between lncRNA MIR31HG expression and the clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed. Read More

Dermatol Pract Concept 2020 20;10(2):e2020045. Epub 2020 Apr 20.

Department of Dermatology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Dermatol Pract Concept 2020 3;10(2):e2020029. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Department of Pathology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.

Background: Malignant melanoma (MM) is potentially the most dangerous form of skin tumor. In the last few years, the so-called TAM receptors, a unique family of tyrosine kinase (TK) receptors, have become increasingly important.

Objectives: To evaluate Mer and Axl TAM receptor expression to find clinicopathological features that could explain the biological behavior of MM. Read More

Ann Transl Med 2020 Mar;8(6):312

Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.

Background: Melanoma is defined as a highly mutational heterogeneous disease containing numerous alternations of the molecule. However, due to the phenotypically and genetically heterogeneity of malignant melanoma, conventional clinical characteristics remain restricted or limited in the ability to accurately predict individual outcomes and survival. This study aimed to establish an accurate gene expression signature to predict melanoma prognosis. Read More

Fam Pract 2020 Apr 29. Epub 2020 Apr 29.

Audit Project Odense, Research Unit of General Practice, University of Southern Denmark, Odense.

Background: The increasing incidence of skin cancers poses a burden to health care systems. General practitioners (GPs) play an important role in triaging these diseases and referring relevant patients to specialists. It is challenging to distinguish benign from malignant skin lesions, and GPs may benefit from diagnostic support from teledermoscopy (TD). Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2020 Apr 22;12(4). Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Center for Dermatooncology, Department of Dermatology, Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.

Background: Primary resistance to immunotherapy can be observed in approximately 40-65% of the stage IV melanoma patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. A minority of the patients receive a second-line therapy, and the clinical benefit is small.

Patients And Methods: Stage IV melanoma patients treated with first-line PD-1-based immunotherapy between January 2015 and December 2018 were investigated. Read More

Br J Dermatol 2020 Apr 22. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.

We read with interest the BJD online publication by Gambichler and colleagues about a decline of programmed death (PD)-1+ circulating T regulatory cells (Tregs) predicting clinical outcome in anti-PD-1 therapy. The study highlights the potential and importance of immune monitoring in anti-PD-1 checkpoint therapy in malignant melanoma. However, their conclusion about anti-PD-1 antibody treatment effecting a decline of PD-1 Tregs is misleading. Read More

Case Rep Oncol 2020 Jan-Apr;13(1):271-275. Epub 2020 Mar 24.

Department of Dermatology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.

Since the incidence of mucosal melanoma is higher in the Japanese population compared to Caucasians, and since mucosal melanoma possesses a lower mutation burden compared to cutaneous melanoma, the efficacy of anti-PD1 antibody (Ab) monotherapy for mucosal melanoma is limited. Therefore, other targeting molecules that enhance the anti-tumor effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors are needed. In this report, we present a case with anti-PD1 Ab-resistant recurrent malignant melanoma of the nasal cavity successfully treated with nivolu-mab, ipilimumab plus denosumab combination therapy. Read More

Skin Res Technol 2020 Apr 6. Epub 2020 Apr 6.

Department of Dermatology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.

Objective: To investigate the application and challenge of reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) in the diagnosis of pigmented nevus.

Method: A total of 997 patients with clinical diagnosis of pigmented nevus were included in the study, and RCM imaging was performed on the lesion of each patient. A biopsy was performed in 78 of these patients for histological diagnosis. Read More

Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2020 May-Jun;86(3):308-311

Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Keimyung University, Daegu, Korea.

Case Rep Gastroenterol 2020 Jan-Apr;14(1):103-109. Epub 2020 Feb 25.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.

Although most immune-related adverse events (irAEs) secondary to immune checkpoint inhibitors can be managed with immunosuppressive therapies; they can induce reactivation of infectious diseases, including cytomegalovirus (CMV). Here, we show a case of CMV enterocolitis during steroid therapy for an irAE. A 77-year-old man with unresectable malignant melanoma was treated with ipilimumab. Read More

J Nutr 2020 Mar 28. Epub 2020 Mar 28.

Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.

Background: In prior studies, higher citrus consumption was associated with higher risk of cutaneous malignant melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Furocoumarins, compounds with phototoxicity and photocarcinogenicity in citrus, may be responsible for the association.

Objectives: The objective of the study was to investigate the association between furocoumarin intake and skin cancer risk. Read More

Bioorg Med Chem 2020 May 3;28(9):115404. Epub 2020 Mar 3.

Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China. Electronic address:

Malignant melanoma (MM) presents as the highest morbidity and mortality type in skin cancer. Herein, inspired by the previously reported anti-melanoma effect of propranolol, a widely applied β adrenergic receptor antagonist as cardiovascular drug, we set out to exploit its potential as anti-melanoma therapy based on the drug repurposing strategy. Structural optimization of propranolol yielded 5m, which exhibits dramatically improved potency on human melanoma cell growth (1. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2020 Mar 24;12(3). Epub 2020 Mar 24.

Clinical Protein Science & Imaging, Biomedical Centre, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden.

Malignant melanoma is among the most aggressive skin cancers and it has among the highest metastatic potentials. Although surgery to remove the primary tumor is the gold standard treatment, once melanoma progresses and metastasizes to the lymph nodes and distal organs, i.e. Read More

Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book 2020 Mar;40:1-10

Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

In this review, we summarize the immunology of nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) and the clinical data with immunotherapy in this heterogeneous group of cancers that include basal cell carcinoma (BCC), cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), and Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). NMSCs are exceedingly common, and their treatment consumes substantial health care resources. Annual global mortality from NMSCs is comparable to that from malignant melanoma. Read More

Oncol Lett 2020 Mar 21;19(3):2481-2488. Epub 2020 Jan 21.

Department of Dermatology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo 113-8603, Japan.

Gastrointestinal melanoma (GM) is a rare but aggressive type of malignant melanoma arising in the gastrointestinal tract. An anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody markedly improves prognosis in patients with melanoma. However, little is known regarding the expression of immune-oncology biomarkers in GM compared with skin melanoma (SM), especially in the Asian population. Read More

Oncol Lett 2020 Mar 8;19(3):1975-1984. Epub 2020 Jan 8.

Department of Dermatology, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Affiliated to Southeast University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221009, P.R. China.

Melanoma is the most aggressive and lethal type of skin cancer. The aim of the present study was to illustrate the molecular mechanism of makorin ring finger protein 2 (MKRN2) control of melanoma cell proliferation. The expression level of MKRN2 was detected in human malignant melanoma cell lines by immunoblotting and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Read More

Cureus 2020 Feb 9;12(2):e6924. Epub 2020 Feb 9.

Dermatology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, AUS.

Introduction While prior studies have addressed the gender-specific survival of malignant melanoma, such investigation is lacking for melanoma in situ (MIS) and for the sun-exposed head and neck areas. Understanding the role of patient characteristics on disease prognosis is essential in determining optimal patient treatment and follow-up. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with MIS of the head and neck to assess the association of gender with long-term survival. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2020 Mar 16;21(6). Epub 2020 Mar 16.

Department of Dermatology, Euregio Skin Cancer Center, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.

We describe an innovative approach for identification of tolerance breakage during immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in malignant melanoma. Checkpoint inhibitor therapy enhances the immunologic clearance of cancer by suppressing pathways which induce immune suppression and tolerance. We posit that by analyzing temporal correlations of key markers of immune activation and tissue damage it would be possible to detect the onset of anticancer immune reaction as well as of immunologic adverse effects which might become crucial for optimization as well as safety of immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment. Read More

J Biomed Opt 2020 Mar;25(7):1-8

University of Gothenburg, Biomedical Photonics Group, Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology,, Sweden.

Significance: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is an important method for metastasis staging in, e.g., patients with malignant melanoma. Read More

PLoS One 2020 13;15(3):e0230136. Epub 2020 Mar 13.

Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain.

Analyzing the mutational load of driver mutations in melanoma could provide valuable information regarding its progression. We aimed at analyzing the heterogeneity of mutational load of BRAF V600E in biopsies of melanoma patients of different stages, and investigating its potential as a prognosis factor. Mutational load of BRAF V600E was analyzed by digital PCR in 78 biopsies of melanoma patients of different stages and 10 nevi. Read More

Int Wound J 2020 Jun 11;17(3):819-822. Epub 2020 Mar 11.

Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

Amelanotic melanoma (AM) of the heel is a very rare subtype of malignant melanoma in which the tumour cells, unlike other types of melanoma, are characterised by little or no melanin pigmentation. AM resembles many benign dermatological complications that often lead to late diagnosis of lesions, poor prognosis, and occasionally misdiagnosis at an early stage of the disease. We report a case of a 73-year-old man with a heel ulcer who was admitted to Al-Zahra Hospital (Isfahan, Iran). Read More

Am J Pathol 2020 May 3;190(5):1108-1117. Epub 2020 Mar 3.

Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York. Electronic address:

Dermal invasion is a hallmark of malignant melanoma. Although the molecular alterations that drive the progression of primary melanoma to metastatic disease have been studied extensively, the early progression of noninvasive primary melanoma to an invasive state is poorly understood. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the transition from radial to vertical growth, the first step in melanoma invasion, we developed a zebrafish melanoma model in which constitutive activation of ribosomal protein S6 kinase A1 drives tumor invasion. Read More

Melanoma Res 2020 04;30(2):159-165

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Histone posttranslational modifications (PTMs) have been shown to be dysregulated in multiple cancers including melanoma, and as they are abundant and easily detectable, they make ideal biomarkers. The aim of this study was to identify histone PTMs that could be potential biomarkers for melanoma diagnosis. Previously, we utilized mass spectrometry to identify histone PTMs that were dysregulated in matched melanoma cell lines and found two modifications, H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (histone H3K27me3) and H4 lysine 20 monomethylation (histone H4K20me), that were differentially expressed in the more aggressive compared to the less aggressive cell line. Read More

Biosci Rep 2020 Mar;40(3)

Department of Dermatology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou 550002, China.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of lncRNA FENDRR on the migration and invasion of malignant melanoma (MM) cells. The expression levels of FENDRR in MM tissues and MM cell lines were detected using qRT-PCR, followed by construction of FENDRR-knocked down and overexpressed stable cells. Then the effects of FENDRR on cell proliferation, migration and invasion were detected using MTT assay and Transwell assay. Read More

J Dermatol 2020 May 5;47(5):e187-e188. Epub 2020 Mar 5.

Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.

Br J Dermatol 2020 Mar 4. Epub 2020 Mar 4.

Departments of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.

Background: The incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) continues to increase in most countries worldwide and the majority are diagnosed with thin tumours (≤ 1 mm).

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the melanoma-specific survival (MSS) as well as conditional MSS (CMSS) in patients with thin CMM in Sweden.

Patients And Methods: Clinical and histological parameters were obtained from the Swedish Melanoma Registry for patients diagnosed with thin CMM between 1990 and 2017. Read More

J Cell Mol Med 2020 Apr 4;24(7):4324-4340. Epub 2020 Mar 4.

Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.

Malignant melanoma is one of the most invasive tumours. However, effective therapeutic strategies are limited, and overall survival rates remain low. By utilizing transcriptomic profiling, tissue array and molecular biology, we revealed that two key ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs), ubiquitin-specific peptidase10 (USP10) and ubiquitin-specific peptidase10 (USP13), were significantly elevated in melanoma at the mRNA and protein levels. Read More

G Ital Dermatol Venereol 2020 Mar 4. Epub 2020 Mar 4.

Dermatology and Venereology Department, Dermatology Clinic, Maggiore Hospital of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.

Int J Mol Sci 2020 Feb 28;21(5). Epub 2020 Feb 28.

Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2T 5C7, Canada.

Microtubules (MTs), microfilaments, and intermediate filaments, the main constituents of the cytoskeleton, undergo continuous structural changes (metamorphosis), which are central to cellular growth, division, and release of microvesicles (MVs). Altered MTs dynamics, uncontrolled proliferation, and increased production of MVs are hallmarks of carcinogenesis. Class III beta-tubulin (β3-tubulin), one of seven β-tubulin isotypes, is a primary component of MT, which correlates with enhanced neoplastic cell survival, metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy. Read More

Curr Health Sci J 2019 Oct-Dec;45(4):366-371. Epub 2019 Dec 30.

Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Center Dr. Ianosi, Craiova, Romania.

Early recognition of melanoma in situ (MIS) is an ongoing challenge in dermatology. It rarely arises 'de novo', most frequently resulting due to the transformation of an atypical nevus. The diagnostic criteria for MIS are diverse dermoscopy being the most used and it has a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 69% in detecting melanomas. Read More

Cancer Manag Res 2020 17;12:1199-1209. Epub 2020 Feb 17.

Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany.

Purpose: Although regular water is composed of two hydrogens and one oxygen, referred to as HO, a small amount of water on this planet contains alternative forms of elements with different molecular weights because of the addition of neutrons. The present study was dedicated to studying the effect of heavy water (DO), in which the two hydrogens become substituted by deuterium, on the cell physiology of different human cells with particular focus on malignant melanoma cells.

Methods: Cells were cultured in regular medium in which the content of HO was gradually substituted by DO or deuterium-depleted water (DDW). Read More

Exp Ther Med 2020 Mar 10;19(3):2296-2302. Epub 2020 Jan 10.

College of Medical Technology, Jiangsu Vocational College of Medicine, Yancheng, Jiangsu 224000, P.R. China.

Plantamajoside (PMS) has been shown to have anticancer effects and is the main compound of . The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of PMS on malignant melanoma and its molecular mechanisms. The malignant melanoma cell line A2058 was treated with different concentrations of PMS (0, 20, 80 and 160 µg/ml) for 24, 48 or 72 h, followed by cell viability detection using the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Read More

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2020 Feb;24(3):1302-1308

Department of Dermatology, The People's Hospital of Danyang, Danyang, China.

Objective: Melanoma is one of the most ordinary malignant tumors. Recent studies have revealed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in the progression of tumorigenesis. This work aims to identify how lncRNA NEAT1 functions in the progression of melanoma. Read More

J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2020 Feb 21;39(1):38. Epub 2020 Feb 21.

Department of Molecular Medicine II, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.

Background: New therapies are urgently needed in melanoma particularly in late-stage patients not responsive to immunotherapies and kinase inhibitors.

Methods: Drug screening, IC50 determinations as well as synergy assays were detected by the MTT assay. Apoptosis using Annexin V and 7AAD staining was assessed using flow cytometry. Read More

J Clin Aesthet Dermatol 2020 Jan 1;13(1):41-43. Epub 2020 Jan 1.

Dr. Garcia is with the Department of Internal Medicine at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California.

We sought to evaluate the efficacy of a Spanish-language educational video in teaching primary Spanish speaking patients to recognize benign and malignant lesions and to increase their awareness about skin cancer. Thirty-seven subjects were enrolled in study. An instructional video was developed to increase knowledge of benign and malignant lesions, skin cancer awareness, and prevention among Spanish-speaking patients. Read More

J Clin Aesthet Dermatol 2020 Jan 1;13(1):12-17. Epub 2020 Jan 1.

Drs. Nestor, Fischer, Arnold, and Berman are with the Center for Clinical and Cosmetic Research in Aventura, Florida.

Clinical and experimental literature search has changed significantly over the past few decades, and with it, the way in which we value information. Today, our need for immediate access to relevant and specific literature, regardless of specialty, has led to a growing demand for open access to publications. The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) has been a long-time standard for representing the quality or "prestige" of a journal, but it appears to be losing its relevance. Read More

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2020 Feb 20. Epub 2020 Feb 20.

Center for Dermatooncology, Department of Dermatology, Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.

Background: Mucosal melanoma is a rare malignancy which represents approximately 1% of all melanomas. It is shown that mucosal melanomas have a different biology and less favourable prognosis than its cutaneous counterpart.

Objectives: Predictive and prognostic factors of survival for mucosal melanoma have not yet been elucidated. Read More

Indian Dermatol Online J 2020 Jan-Feb;11(1):79-82. Epub 2020 Jan 13.

Department of Dermatology. Sakhiya Skin Clinic PVT LTD, Surat, Gujarat, India.

Congenital melanocytic nevi are benign proliferations of cutaneous melanocytes that arise as a result of abnormal growth, development, or migration of melanoblasts. Clinically, the giant congenital nevus is greater than 20 cm in size, pigmented and often hairy. The risk of malignant melanoma for the giant nevi is almost 6%. Read More

Cancer Res Treat 2020 Feb 13. Epub 2020 Feb 13.

Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Purpose: We investigated the clinical efficacy of immune checkpoint blocker (ICB) therapy for metastatic or advanced melanoma in Korean patients. As well, we assessed whether the effects of ICBs can be enhanced by combination therapy with palliative radiotherapy (RT).

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 127 patients with metastatic melanoma who received ICB with or without palliative RT between 2014 and 2018. Read More

Cancer Immunol Immunother 2020 Jun 11;69(6):1131-1140. Epub 2020 Feb 11.

Department of Dermatology, Course of Integrated Medicine Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2, Yamadaoka, Suita-shi, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.

Hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ; Sendai virus) is an RNA virus that has cell fusion activity. HVJ-envelope (HVJ-E) is a UV-irradiated HVJ particle that loses viral replication and protein synthesis activity but retains cell fusion activity. We recently reported that HVJ-E has antitumor effects on several types of tumors. Read More

Dermatol Online J 2019 Dec 15;25(12). Epub 2019 Dec 15.

Dermatology Department, Hospital de Barbastro, Huesca.

Anti-programmed cell death (PD)-1 therapies in metastatic tumors have a high incidence of immune adverse events, including cutaneous manifestations such as vitiligo-like lesions. This side effect is associated with increased survival and it is a clinical marker of response to treatment. This case report is a graphic representation of the appearance of vitiligo-like lesions over in-transit metastases of malignant melanoma linked to a complete response to treatment with pembrolizumab. Read More

Dermatol Ther 2020 Mar 17;33(2):e13261. Epub 2020 Feb 17.

Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University of Rome "G. Marconi", Rome, Italy.

Malignant melanoma is an oncologic disease, whose current management among others includes surgical and immunological therapy. According to the current recommendations of the American Joint Committee on Cancer, the surgical excision of the primary tumor should be performed in two operative sessions, which has several consequences. The following paper will present and discuss six cases of pigmented lesions and the advantages of the one-step melanoma surgery in their management. Read More