Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 4, 2025
05:33
Author Spotlight: Recreating Melanoma Complexity with Patient-Derived Organoids for Immunotherapy Evaluation
Published on: September 6, 2024
1.7K
Educational Review: Neoadjuvant Approaches to Melanoma
Cimarron E Sharon1, Giorgos C Karakousis2
1Division of Endocrine and Oncologic Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Maloney 4, Philadelphia, PA, USA. cimarron.sharon@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Annals of Surgical Oncology
|July 18, 2022
Summary
Neoadjuvant targeted or immune therapies show promise for resectable stage III/IV melanoma, improving outcomes over traditional surgery. Further research will refine personalized treatment strategies based on patient response.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Dermatology
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Systemic therapies have revolutionized melanoma treatment, particularly neoadjuvant approaches.
- Neoadjuvant therapy offers improved outcomes compared to upfront surgery for resectable stage III/IV melanoma.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review clinical trials on neoadjuvant treatment for stage III/IV melanoma.
- To assess the efficacy and safety of novel systemic therapies in the neoadjuvant setting.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of phase I-II clinical trials.
- Analysis of data on targeted therapies (BRAF/MEK inhibitors) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (PD-1/CTLA-4 inhibitors).
Main Results:
- Neoadjuvant therapies demonstrate significant clinical and pathologic response rates.
- Complete pathologic response correlates with improved disease-free survival.
- Optimized dosing and strategies are being developed to minimize toxicity.
Conclusions:
- Neoadjuvant targeted or immune therapy offers advantages for resectable stage III/IV melanoma.
- Individualized treatment based on response is a future direction.
- Further research is required to compare neoadjuvant versus adjuvant treatment efficacy.
