Overview

The treatment landscape for advanced melanoma has dramatically shifted over the past decade thanks to the introduction of innovative therapies such as immunotherapies that have not only improved survival rates but also significantly enhanced patients’ quality of life. 

Yet despite the availability of evidence-based guidelines regarding the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in melanoma, their use remains suboptimal in clinical practice. Clinicians may be unfamiliar with the evidence-based changes in treatment approaches that have accompanied new research and approvals over the past few years. Balancing indications and recommendations with safety considerations for these therapies, particularly when used in combination, may also prove challenging. 

To help clinicians enhance their ICI-based treatment regimens in the advanced melanoma setting, this interactive practice guide interweaves education and practical guidance for easy integration of the latest evidence and treatment strategies within daily clinical processes and workflows.

This activity is intended for oncologists and the multidisciplinary care team who manage patients with melanoma.

Melanoma is a common and potentially life-threatening malignancy. Most persons with melanoma (82%) are diagnosed with localized disease, but 9% have regional disease, and 4% have distant disease. Overall 5-year survival is high, at 93.7%; however, it drops to 70.6% for those with regional disease and 31.9% for those with distant disease at diagnosis. Though prognosis remains suboptimal for patients with advanced disease, the emergence of non-chemotherapeutic systemic therapies, including immunotherapies, has been associated with improvements in patient quality of life as well as extended survival. Because of their ability to provide durable long-term control, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become the standard of care in the treatment of advanced melanoma. However, despite the availability of evidence-based guidelines regarding the use of ICIs in melanoma (ie, ipilimumab, nivolumab, pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, and relatlimab), their use remains suboptimal in clinical practice. Indeed, evidence indicated that underutilization of immunotherapies in melanoma results in less than half of patients with Stage IV disease receiving immunotherapy. Underutilization of ICIs in the advanced melanoma setting stems from several challenges, including the large and growing volume of clinical trial data; rapidly changing guidelines; identification of patients appropriate for ICI therapy; and management of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). This activity will provide clinicians involved in the treatment of patients with advanced melanoma with the education, tools, and resources to optimize their use of ICIs in clinical practice and enhance workflows to improve patient outcomes.

Upon completion of this activity, learners will be able to:
• Interpret and apply clinical trial and real-world evidence in the advanced melanoma treatment setting
• Integrate ICI-based monotherapies and combination therapies into evidence-based treatment plans for appropriate patients with advanced melanoma
• Implement multidisciplinary collaboration frameworks to identify and engage patients, personalize treatment selection, and manage immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in patients with advanced melanoma

Content topics
• Incidence and Burden of Advanced Melanoma
• Treatment Landscape
• Considerations for Treatment Selection
• ICIs for Adjuvant Therapy
• Monitoring and Managing Immune-Related Adverse Events (irAEs)

This educational activity is presented in collaboration with Rush University Medical Center and the Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning (ACHL).

Supported by an educational grant from Bristol Myers Squibb.

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