This document discusses adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy options for melanoma. Adjuvant therapy is given after surgery to lower the risk of recurrence, while neoadjuvant therapy is given before surgery. FDA-approved adjuvant therapies include interferon-alpha, pegylated interferon, and high-dose ipilimumab. Ongoing clinical trials are testing newer agents like BRAF/MEK inhibitors and anti-PD-1 antibodies in the adjuvant setting. Neoadjuvant therapy may help shrink tumors before surgery. Clinical trials are exploring neoadjuvant targeted therapies and immunotherapies and have shown potential for improved outcomes over standard surgery alone.
4. Brief Overview of Melanoma Staging
• Stage I
– Melanoma is thin
– Hasn’t spread to lymph nodes
– Prognosis is excellent with surgery
alone
• Stage III
– The tumor can be any thickness and
could be ulcerated
– Has spread to lymph nodes or made
a satellite (cancer cells near by the
primary tumor)
– Medical therapy may be indicated
either before or after surgery
depending on the amount of disease
• IIIA: 1‐2 lymph nodes with small
amount of disease
• IIIB: 2‐3 lymph nodes with small
disease,1 large lymph node, in‐
transit disease without nodes
• IIIC: 4 or more lymph nodes, in‐
transit disease with lymph nodes
• Stage II
– Tumor is thicker and could be
ulcerated
– Hasn’t spread to lymph nodes
– Prognosis with surgery is good
• Stage IV
– Cancer cells have left the skin and
traveled to a distant site
– Medical therapy with or without
surgery/radiation
7. FDA Approved Adjuvant Therapy
• Interferon‐α
– FDA‐approved (1996) for Thick (> 4 mm) Primary/(+) LN
– 5 days/week IV X 1 month, then three times a week SQ X 11 months
– Virtually all patients experience toxicity
– Benefit: CONTROVERSIAL
• Delays relapse in about 10% of patients
• Initial survival benefit non‐significant with additional follow‐up, and not
confirmed in additional trials
• Pegylated Interferon‐α
– FDA‐approved (2011) for stage III melanoma
– Administered as a weekly shot for up to 5 years
– Delays relapse by about 9 months but no improvement in survival
– Benefit: CONTROVERSIAL
Kirkwood et al. Clin Can Res 2004; 10: 1670‐7
24. Patients with
stage IIIB/IIIC or
oligometastatic
stage IV
(≤3 lesions)
Blood draw
and tumor
biopsy
Pre-treatment
Blood draw
and tumor
harvested
at surgery
Restaging
CT scans
every 12
weeks
n=20
n=20
Arm A
Neoadjuvant
Nivolumab
(4 doses)
Restaging via
CTs followed
by surgical
resection
On treatment
biopsy /
blood draw
(prior to
dose 2 and
dose 3)
Adjuvant
Nivolumab x 6
months
Pathologic
assessment
with correlative
studies
Arm B
Neoadjuvant
Ipilimumab
& Nivolumab
(3 doses)
Restaging via
CTs followed
by surgical
resection
Adjuvant
Nivolumab x 6
months
Follow up
Follow up
Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Clinical Trial