Melanoma Monday: 2022 Immunotherapy Research Updates May 2, 2022December 14, 2022 CRI Staff Melanoma is, sadly, a cancer that is on the rise. The number of Americans diagnosed annually has increased by over 30 percent in the past decade. However, recent advances in science may give hope to patients with melanoma and their families. In April, CRI CLIP Investigator Nir Hacohen, PhD, of the Broad Institute co-led research that identified three gene pairs associated with immunotherapy response and survival in melanoma. In January, CRI Scientific Advisory Council member Thomas Gajewski, MD, PhD, of the University of Chicago found that expression of the chemokine CXCL10 is vital for driving cancer-fighting T cells into tumors and immunotherapy effectiveness. This May 2, for Melanoma Monday, discover new research, new treatments, and progress for a future immune to melanoma. Melanoma Treatment Update At the CRI Virtual Immunotherapy Patient Summit last October, Dr. Margaret Callahan of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center discussed how scientists and physicians are working to extend the benefits of immunotherapy to more melanoma patients with new treatments and combination therapies. Historic Melanoma Treatment Approval In March 2022, the U.S. FDA approved a new checkpoint combination therapy for the treatment of melanoma, bringing a new target for cancer treatment into standard care. READ BLOG POST Melanoma Patient Story Despite his diagnosis with stage 4 metastatic melanoma, Alan Kauffman ran his 25th NYC marathon in 2018, thanks in part to immunotherapy. Meet Alan Melanoma Scientist Spotlight CRI CLIP Investigator Morgan Huse, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center aims to identify genetic modifications that can aid T cells as they target cancer cells. Read Morgan’s Research Immunotherapy for Melanoma In the past year, the U.S. FDA approved three immunotherapies for subsets of patients with melanoma: the checkpoint combination therapy of nivolumab and relatlimab, the bispecific fusion protein tebentafusp, and the checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab following surgery. READ Melanoma UPDATE Find a Melanoma Clinical Trial Help speed the development of potentially lifesaving drugs. Discover trials for which you or a loved one may be eligible with the CRI Immunotherapy Clinical Trial Finder. FIND A Cancer Clinical TRIAL Support Melanoma Research CRI Fellow Marie Vetizou, PhD, of the National Cancer Institute found patients with melanoma who reported eating more fiber-rich foods when they began immunotherapy treatment survived longer without melanoma growth than patients with insufficient dietary fiber intake. This work not only opens new avenues of research in the impact of diet and exercise on treatment outcomes, but also provides actionable advice for physicians to provide patients today. This Melanoma Monday, support lifesaving cancer immunotherapy research. DONATE to melanoma research Read more: Post navigation The Many Fates of T Cells with CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR Enrico Lugli, PhD Read Story Brain Cancer Awareness Month: 2022 Immunotherapy Research Updates Read Story
