MELANOMA INSTITUTE AUSTRALIA
🇦🇺Australia
University of Sydney Secures $8.3 Million for Innovative Clinical Trials in Cancer and Addiction Treatment
• The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has awarded $8.3 million to University of Sydney researchers for clinical trials addressing critical gaps in cancer and addiction treatment.
• Four key projects received funding, including innovative approaches to skin cancer diagnosis, lung cancer treatment, cancer immunotherapy risk assessment, and cannabidiol for alcohol use disorder.
• The funded research aims to translate scientific discoveries into implementable clinical solutions that will significantly improve patient outcomes and healthcare practices across Australia.
Pipeline Progress: Over 25 New Therapies in Development for Metastatic Liver Cancer
• DelveInsight's latest report reveals a robust pipeline with over 20 companies developing 25+ therapies for metastatic liver cancer, offering new hope for patients with limited treatment options.
• Several promising clinical trials are underway in 2025, including studies evaluating novel combinations such as AK104 plus lenvatinib, tislelizumab with lenvatinib, and triplet therapy of nivolumab, relatlimab and bevacizumab.
• Key emerging therapies include exoASO-STAT6 targeting tumor-associated macrophages, STP705 dual TGF-ß1/COX-2 inhibitor, and ONCR-177, an oncolytic viral immunotherapy expressing five transgenes to fight tumors through multiple mechanisms.
Novel Triple Immunotherapy Approach Shows Promise in Glioblastoma Treatment
• A groundbreaking experimental treatment combining three checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapies before surgery has shown promising results in glioblastoma, with one patient remaining cancer-free for over 18 months.
• The innovative approach, developed by Professor Georgina Long AO, demonstrated increased immune cell activation and diversity in the treated tumor, suggesting an enhanced immune response against cancer cells.
• An Australian-led international clinical trial is being planned to evaluate double immunotherapy, with some patients receiving additional chemotherapy, to validate this potential breakthrough in glioblastoma treatment.
Combination Immunotherapy Achieves 51% Seven-Year Survival Rate in Advanced Melanoma Brain Metastases
• Australian clinical trial demonstrates unprecedented 51% survival rate at seven years for melanoma patients with brain metastases using combination immunotherapy with nivolumab and ipilimumab.
• The groundbreaking study, led by Melanoma Institute Australia, transforms the prognosis for advanced melanoma patients, extending survival from traditional 16 weeks to potential cure.
• Research team confirms long-term disease control achievement, recommending combination immunotherapy as the new standard of care for melanoma brain metastasis patients.
Nivolumab/Relatlimab Combination Demonstrates Sustained Overall Survival Benefit in Advanced Melanoma
• Extended analysis of the RELATIVITY-047 trial shows nivolumab/relatlimab significantly improves overall survival compared to nivolumab alone in advanced melanoma patients.
• Median overall survival reached 51.0 months with the combination therapy versus 34.1 months with nivolumab monotherapy, indicating a substantial survival advantage.
• The study also reported improved progression-free survival and melanoma-specific survival with the nivolumab/relatlimab combination.
• No new safety signals were identified, reinforcing the combination's manageable safety profile in previously untreated advanced melanoma.
Richard Scolyer Pioneers Immunotherapy Approach in Personal Brain Cancer Battle
• Leading melanoma pathologist Richard Scolyer is undergoing a novel immunotherapy treatment for aggressive glioblastoma, an approach never before attempted.
• Scolyer's treatment involves a combination of immunotherapy drugs administered prior to surgery, aiming to stimulate his immune system to attack the tumor cells.
• Early pathology results show activation of immune cells attacking the tumor, offering a potential new direction for brain cancer treatment.
• Despite the risks, Scolyer remains optimistic, hoping his case will provide valuable scientific insights and inspire future clinical trials.
ESMO 2024: Key Breast Cancer Advances Highlighted
• Final KEYNOTE-522 data confirmed pembrolizumab's benefit in neoadjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, improving 5-year overall survival.
• NATALEE trial's 4-year update showed ribociclib plus aromatase inhibition significantly improved invasive disease-free survival in high-risk, hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer.
• DESTINY-Breast12 trial demonstrated trastuzumab deruxtecan's significant intracranial activity in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients with brain metastases.
• ICARUS-BREAST01 trial revealed promising objective response rates and progression-free survival with patritumab deruxtecan in HER3-positive, hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.
Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Solidifies as Standard of Care in Stage III Melanoma
• Updated data from the NADINA trial demonstrates that neoadjuvant ipilimumab plus nivolumab significantly improves event-free and distant metastasis-free survival compared to adjuvant nivolumab in resectable stage III melanoma.
• An updated pooled analysis from the International Neoadjuvant Melanoma Consortium (INMC) confirms the long-term benefits of neoadjuvant immunotherapy, particularly with combination checkpoint inhibition.
• Major pathologic response (MPR) is identified as a strong prognostic marker, with patients achieving MPR showing significantly improved recurrence-free survival rates.
• Neoadjuvant BRAF/MEK targeted therapy is shown to be less effective than neoadjuvant immunotherapy and equivalent to adjuvant BRAF/MEK therapy.
Pioneering Immunotherapy Approach Keeps Brain Cancer at Bay for Australian Doctor Who Helped Develop It
• Professor Richard Scolyer, diagnosed with terminal stage 4 glioblastoma in 2023, remains cancer-free one year after receiving a first-of-its-kind immunotherapy treatment he helped develop.
• The groundbreaking approach combined immunotherapy drugs administered before and after surgery, along with the world's first personalized vaccine tailored to his tumor's characteristics.
• Despite initial complications including seizures, liver issues, and pneumonia, Scolyer has returned to his daily routine, though researchers caution that while promising, the treatment requires further study in larger patient populations.
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