25 Years of Progress and Hope

From the desk of MRF CEO Kyleigh LiPira:

As the MRF continues to celebrate its 25th anniversary we are continually reflecting on how far the melanoma community has come over the last quarter century. Twenty-five years ago there were no FDA-approved treatments for melanoma. Today, we have 16 with the promising news of two new potential treatments which have been accepted for priority review by the FDA with one being in uveal melanoma – a true breakthrough for this rare form of melanoma which currently has no FDA approvals. You can read more about this exciting news below.

We need to recognize how much progress has been made and the hope this provides patients and their families, but we know that we still have a long way to go in the fight with this disease. That's why I am so excited for our largest event of the year, the 20th Annual New York City Gala on Thursday, October 14! Emmy Award-winning host and producer Andy Cohen will serve as Gala Emcee as we celebrate two decades of progress and come together to raise life-saving funds in support of the more than 1.3 million Americans living with melanoma. We will also recognize and be inspired by all of those who have paved the way for this progress: the brave patients who have enrolled in clinical trials, advocates who have shared their stories with lawmakers to help increase awareness and funding for research and the many families who continue to honor the legacy of their loved ones. It will certainly be an unforgettable evening; I look forward to seeing you there.

Hope Changes Everything!

FDA Fast Tracks New Melanoma Treatments

The past decade has been an encouraging time in melanoma research, as new FDA-approved treatments gave more melanoma patients a reason for hope. However, these new treatments don't work for all patients, and for those facing rare subtypes like ocular melanoma there are still no FDA-approved treatments currently available. Two recent developments, however, indicate good news may be on the horizon. A recent study demonstrated that the combination of relatlimab plus nivolumab doubled progression-free survival when compared with nivolumab alone. This establishes a third immunotherapy checkpoint target in the clinic and the FDA has agreed to a priority review of this combination; therefore, melanoma patients should have a novel therapy within the next 6 months.

On September 23, historic research results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine: for the first time ever, a therapy called tebentafusp was shown to have an overall survival benefit in metastatic uveal melanoma. The novel immunotherapy, which was tested for use in patients with a specific antigen called HLA-A*02:01, will now be submitted for FDA approval as the first ever approved treatment for metastatic uveal melanoma. Additional research will continue to further improve the survival benefit and to determine how best to treat patients who are not HLA-A*02:01-positive.

New treatment advances give the melanoma community reason for hope, and your support could lead to the next research breakthrough. Please consider a tax-deductible gift to support continued progress in melanoma science.

25th Anniversary: What's Changed in Pediatric Melanoma? Pretty Much Everything.

As the MRF continues to celebrate its 25th Anniversary, each month we are highlighting members of our scientific community who have worked towards new breakthroughs in melanoma research and treatments. This month we shared a guest blog by Vernon K. Sondak, MD (Department of Cutaneous Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center), Jane L. Messina, MD (Departments of Cutaneous Oncology and Anatomic Pathology, Moffitt Cancer Center) and Alberto S. Pappo, MD (Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital). The informative blog shares how pediatric melanoma diagnosis has advanced in recent years, and how new molecular tests are helping physicians more effectively diagnose and treat melanoma in children and adolescents. Click below to read the new blog, and stay tuned for a follow-up article on pediatric melanoma treatment coming next month.

Medical Students: Apply for Research Funding

The Request for Proposals (RFP) for 2022 Medical Student Research Awards is now available! Applications will be accepted until November 15, 2021 at 5pm ET. The goal of these awards is to promote research opportunities to medical students early in their careers by funding clinical or laboratory-based research projects focused on better understanding the prevention, biology and treatment of melanoma, including its rare subtypes. The RFP is posted in the MRF Research Center, and questions about this or any other funding opportunities may be directed to research@melanoma.org.

New Animated Patient Videos

On September 21, the newest module in our “You and Melanoma” animated patient video series was added to the MRF Education Institute. Genetic Mutations and Melanoma discusses the different cellular changes that can occur in melanoma and how genetic testing can help determine the most effective treatment options. In addition to the animated overview of melanoma genetics, the module includes four additional videos from melanoma expert Laura Ferris, MD, PhD, Professor of Dermatology at the University of Pittsburgh. Click below to view this free patient education resource and learn more about melanoma genetics: