Immune-Therapy in Cutaneous Melanoma – Efficacy Immune Markers

Immunomics in Skin Cancer - Improvement in Diagnosis, Prognosis and Therapy Monitoring

This review will focus on the elements of the skin's immune system, immune cells and/or non-immune cells that support immune mechanisms, molecules with immune origin and/or immune functions that are involved in skin carcinogenesis. All these immune elements are compulsory in the development of skin tumors and/or sustainability of the neoplastic process. In this light, recent data gathered in th...

Evaluating Biomarkers in Melanoma

The incidence of cutaneous melanoma has more than doubled over the last decades making it one of the fastest rising cancers worldwide. Improved awareness and early detection of malignant moles now permit earlier diagnosis aiming to decrease the likelihood of recurrence. However, it is difficult to identify those patients initially diagnosed with localized melanoma who subsequently develop metas...

Inflammation markers in cutaneous melanoma - edgy biomarkers for prognosis

There is a fine balance between inflammation and tumorigenesis. While environmentally induced inflammatory condition can precede a malignant transformation, in other cases an oncogenic change of unknown origin can induce an inflammatory microenvironment that promotes the development of tumors. Regardless of its origin, maintaining the inflammation milieu has many tumor-promoting effects. As a r...

New Insights in Cutaneous Melanoma Immune-Therapy — Tackling Immune-Suppression and Specific Anti- Tumoral Response

Profile of ipilimumab and its role in the treatment of metastatic melanoma

Melanoma is an immunogenic cancer. However, the ability of the immune system to eradicate melanoma tumors is affected by intrinsic negative regulatory mechanisms. Multiple immune-modulatory therapies are currently being developed to optimize the immune response to melanoma tumors. Two recent Phase III studies using the monoclonal antibody ipilimumab, which targets the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte ant...