melanoma treatment

Dr. Smylie Receives the CMC Legacy Award

Dr. Michael Smylie was the recipient of the 2023 Canadian Melanoma Conference Legacy Award which was presented on February 26, 2023. Kathy Barnard, Save Your Skin Foundation’s founder and former patient of Dr. Smylie, had the honour of saying a few words about this incredible doctor, friend, athlete and father. She read several testimonials from former patients and caregivers, including the following one from her very own sister, Rosemary Westie:

“To Mike,

When you love someone who’s diagnosed with cancer, the world as you know it comes to an end. When my big sister and best friend was diagnosed I was petrified. I couldn’t imagine a life without her in it, none of our family could. But sadly, as a family, you can only do so much. You can provide love, support, and hope, but at the end of the day, you’re still petrified, because love, support and hope can’t cure this relentless disease.

In the early years through the various treatments and surgeries my sister had, we always feared we were on borrowed time. Although she stayed strong and dealt with everything this disease threw at her, there came the day we dreaded, where we were told there was nothing they could do. The panic and fear that set in at that stage was indescribable, I simply could not breathe. But then, when we were at our most desperate, we were granted a miracle. And that miracle was you, Mike Smylie.

I know now, years later, that you are simply a lovely and humble man. You’re a wonderful dad and a friend to many. You are a tremendous athlete, and a connoisseur of excellent rum. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, your only flaw is that you are an Edmonton Oilers fan🤣.

But can I tell you, Mike, that when we first met under such dire circumstances, to me, my sister and our entire family, you were this divine, all-powerful, god like, super being, that had my sisters life in your hands. I wonder if you realized that you controlled the fate of our family. Our future, our happiness, whether she would live or die.

I think about that now, and what a huge burden that was to place on your shoulders, and to think that you didn’t just carry that burden for her, but for every single one of your patients.

I hope we weren’t asking too much of you Mike, but we needed you, desperately. You brought calm to our panic, you brought hope when we felt hopeless. You helped us understand what was happening, and what to expect throughout the treatment, which was invaluable when we were in the eye of the storm. You always made us feel like she was your only patient and your biggest priority, and we know you did the same for everyone single one of your patients. 🙂

You, my dear, just have to accept that you will always be our super hero. Not the one wearing the cape, but the one wearing the wings, and of course the tight bike shorts. 🤣Thank you Mike, for saving my sisters life.

Kath’s sister Rose”

Dr. Michael Smylie has been a good friend of the Foundation since its creation. He sits on our Medical Advisory Committee and has been a frequent presenter on our webinars, including our most recent Post-CMC 2023 Update webinar. Dr. Michael Smylie is a medical oncologist at the Cross Cancer Institute, and professor at the Department of Oncology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

Congratulations Dr. Smylie!

Webinar – Post-CMC 2023 Update from Dr. Smylie

Date/Time: March 1 – 5pm-6:30 pm PT / 8pm-9:30 pm ET

Presented by Dr. Michael Smylie, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, this webinar will review breaking news, key takeaways, clinical data and other updates presented at the Canadian Melanoma Conference (CMC) taking place in Banff, Alberta, from February 23-25, 2023. Dr. Smylie will present on key clinical trial data from 2022 in the management of melanoma, the latest strategies in melanoma as they pertain to medical oncology, pathology, radiation and surgery, and implementation approaches that maximize patient standard of care in melanoma. Dr. Michael Smylie is a medical oncologist at the Cross Cancer Institute, and a professor at the Department of Oncology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton

View Webinar Recording (English) Here

Presenters:

Kathy Barnard, President, SYSF, melanoma stage 4 survivor
Dr. Michael Smylie, Medical Oncologist, Cross Cancer Institute, Professor, Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton

More on CMC

This conference brings together medical oncologists, surgeons, dermatologists, radiotherapists, pathologists, molecular biologists, immunologists, and other allied health professionals interested in the treatment of melanoma worldwide.

Describe key clinical trial data from 2022 in the management of melanoma and understand the impact on Canadian practices.
Understand the latest strategies in melanoma as they pertain to medical oncology, pathology, radiation, and surgery.
Implement approaches that maximize patient standard of care in melanoma.

Patient Reported Experience Measures: 2022 Highlights!

In 2022, Save Your Skin Foundation ran three major patient surveys in order to collect patient-reported experience measure data (PREMs):

“The Patient Experience: Systemic Treatment of Adult Cutaneous Melanoma” (April/May)
“The Patient Experience: Treatment of Patients with Ocular Melanoma” (April/May)
“Patient Survey: Treatment Plan Decision-Making” (September/October)

Long-form reporting of the data for “The Patient Experience: Treatment of Patients with Ocular Melanoma” and “Patient Survey: Treatment Plan Decision-Making” are available on the Save Your Skin website. “Treatment Plan Decision-Making” was available in both English and French, and was developed in partnership with AIM at Melanoma. The following blog highlights some particularly notable outcomes from these surveys; we hope you find something of interest to you!

Highlights from “The Patient Experience: Systemic Treatment of Adult Cutaneous Melanoma”

When asked if they would consider it reasonable to receive additional treatments should their melanoma recur at a later stage, 78.26% directly indicated that they would be interested in additional treatments (Q12).
When asked specifically about their experiences on Pembrolizumab (Keytruda™), 73.68% reported enduring fatigue as a side effect, followed in frequency of votes by skin rashes (36.84%) and cognitive impairment (26.32%) (Q17). 61.11% found these side effects manageable (Q18).
95.45% of participants indicated that the side effects resulting from this therapy were worth it for the benefits of the treatment (Q19).
When asked if they would consider receiving drug therapy from a clinical trial, 77.27% responded that they would, should the need arise. Of the 22.73% that responded “not sure,” several added comments indicating that they would consider it, but would need more information (Q22).

Highlights from “The Patient Experience: Treatment of Patients with Ocular Melanoma”

63.63% of our ocular melanoma survey participant pool who have not received genetic testing would like to, suggesting that many patients see this as a worthwhile process (Question 11).
Unsurprisingly, eye-related side effects are the most common for patients with ocular melanoma. These include loss of vision (64.51% of responses), eye pain (16.12%), cataracts (9.67%), flashes of light in the eyes (12.9%), dry eyes (3.22%), macular edema (3.22%), and retinopathy (3.22%) (Q16).
82.35% of participants have ongoing follow up appointments/testing every 3-6 months (Q20).
79.31% of responses suggested that if their disease were to progress in the future, they would be interested in receiving additional treatments (Q21).
64.71% of survey participants indicated that if they were offered enrolment in a clinical trial, they would take it (Q24).
The most frequently cited side effects by participants receiving KIMMTRAK ® (tebentafusp-tebn) for their ocular melanoma were fatigue and skin rashes (both selected by 50% of participants) (Q28).
100% of patients who received KIMMTRAK ® (tebentafusp-tebn) noted that the side effects of this treatment were worth enduring for the survival benefit (Q30)
The most frequently cited barrier to accessing KIMMTRAK ® (tebentafusp-tebn) was having to travel to another city, which was both an inconvenience and a financial hardship (Q31).

Highlights from “Patient Survey: Treatment Plan Decision-Making” English language survey

When asked what was the most important topic to discuss with their healthcare team at the time of diagnosis out of the following options: “care plan,” “prognosis,” “treatment timeline,” “quality of life,” and “financial considerations,” survey participants selected “prognosis” as their primary concern, followed by “treatment timeline” and then “care plan.” That “quality of life” and “financial considerations” are the lowest priorities suggests that patients care about survival above all else (Q7).
Questions nine and ten demonstrated that patients are creating a treatment plan with their healthcare team along their ideal timeline, which is either at the time of diagnosis or between their first and third appointments.
The majority of survey participants (76.56%) stated that they understood at least “most” of the cancer-related information provided to them (Q12); however, 32.82% expressed dissatisfaction with the amount and quality of the information they received (Q21).
When asked what resource they most frequently turn to for cancer-related information (other than their healthcare team), the internet was cited by 82.54% of participants (Q13)
Questions 15 and 16 illustrated that 73.44% of participants feel they had an appropriate amount of input in developing their treatment plan.
When asked to prioritise the following factors when developing a care plan: “dosing schedule/logistics,” “long-term survival,” “risk of adverse events/side effects,” “financial concerns,” and “lifestyle and family implications,” patients ranked “long-term survival” as their highest priority (Q17).
When asked to indicate the two most significant challenges they experienced during treatment, the need for emotional support (60.94%) and the impact of physiological symptoms (45.31%) had the highest number of votes (Q27).

Highlights from “Patient Survey: Treatment Plan Decision-Making” French language survey

When asked what was the most important topic to discuss with their healthcare team at the time of diagnosis out of the following options: “care plan,” “prognosis,” “treatment timeline,” “quality of life,” and “financial considerations,” survey participants selected “care plan” as their primary concern, followed by “prognosis” and then “quality of life” (Q7).
Like the English language cohort, the French language survey participants received care plans along their ideal timeline of either at the time of diagnosis or between the first and third appointments (Q9, 10).
In the French language survey, a greater percentage of participants indicated having more responsibility for the development of their care plans. Only 27.27% felt “appropriately involved,” while 63.63% indicated that they made the decision more independently (Q15).
When asked to prioritise the following factors when developing a care plan: “dosing schedule/logistics,” “long-term survival,” “risk of adverse events/side effects,” “financial concerns,” and “lifestyle and family implications,” the French language patients also ranked “long-term survival” as their highest priority (Q17).
When asked whether they felt prepared for treatment, participants had polarised responses; 63.64% reported feeling “entirely prepared for treatment,” while 27.27% were “mostly unprepared for treatment” (Q24).
When asked to indicate the two most significant challenges they experienced during treatment, the French language survey participants voted most frequently for physiological symptoms (54.55%), followed by emotional support and a lack of information, which were tied for votes (36.36% each). This suggests that the need for emotional support is more satisfied for the French language survey participants (Q27).

The data from patient reported experience measures, sampled above, is instrumental to our operations as a patient group. We consider these reports when we are prioritizing our initiatives for the new year, preparing our strategic plans for patient support, education, awareness, health policy, and advocacy, and share them with other stakeholders in the cancer space. We hope this information was valuable to you, and that the new year brings you joy, prosperity, and good health.

WEBINAR: Latest news on melanoma/skin cancer/ocular melanoma from ASCO 2022

(le français suit)

Don’t miss our webinar with Dr. Marcus Butler, the Medical Oncology Disease Site Lead for Melanoma/Skin Oncology at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is also the Clinical Director for the Immune Monitoring Team at the Princess Margaret where he focuses on the immunologic impact of anti-cancer immunotherapies.

This webinar reviews late breaking news, key takeaways, clinical data and other updates presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting taking place in Chicago, Illinois, in June 2022.

Dr. Butler shares his key insights into what the landscape of melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancers, and ocular melanoma treatment looks like for the near future in Canada.

Click HERE to view the recording

WEBINAIRE : Mise à jour sur le mélanome/cancer de la peau/mélanome oculaire de l’ASCO 2022

Regardez l’enregistrement du webinaire avec le Dr Marcus Butler, responsable du site d’oncologie médicale pour le mélanome et l’oncologie de la peau au Princess Margaret Cancer Centre et professeur adjoint de médecine à l’Université de Toronto. Il est également le directeur clinique de l’équipe de surveillance immunitaire du Princess Margaret, où il se concentre sur l’impact immunologique des immunothérapies anticancéreuses.

Ce webinaire a passé en revue les dernières nouvelles, les points essentiels, les données cliniques et d’autres mises à jour présentées lors de l’assemblée annuelle de l’American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) qui a eu lieu à Chicago, en Illinois, en juin 2022.

Le Dr Butler a partagé ses idées clés sur ce à quoi ressemble le paysage du traitement du mélanome, des cancers de la peau autres que le mélanome et du mélanome oculaire dans un avenir proche au Canada.

Cliquez ici pour le webinaire

ASCO 2021 Conference Report by SYSF

The 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting took place from June 4-8, 2021. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the convention was conducted entirely online. This event brings together over thirty thousand oncologists, pharmaceutical representatives, and patient advocates from across the world and across cancer types for five days of networking, learning, and presenting new research. Every year, Save Your Skin Foundation puts together a report of the panels regarding innovative treatments in the melanoma sphere. In this report are detailed recollections of these panels, categorized by topic. All information offered in this report is the intellectual property of the presenter and their team, as cited by the report.

Click here to read the report!

Every year, melanoma and uveal melanoma become more widely covered by clinical trials. While the continued innovation of treatment for these cancers is exciting, it means that we were unable to include every presentation and abstract related to melanoma, uveal melanoma, and non-melanoma skin cancers. Therefore, abstracts and presentations that provide updates on safety profiles of past studies and abstracts that do not produce promising clinical results have been excluded. We have also excluded abstracts which, at the time of the meeting, did not have confirmed data.

The informational resources cited in this report are a combination of the transcripts and slides from the ASCO meeting library. All images are courtesy of the author of the respective talk. Any queries may be directed to natalie@saveyourskin.ca

If you are interested in more information from the ASCO 2021 annual meeting, Save Your Skin Foundations is pleased to offer a Post-ASCO 2021 Update with Dr Omid Hamid video concentrated on melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancers, and ocular melanoma. Click HERE to view the recording on youTube

Adjuvant therapies in melanoma – a guide to navigate treatment options

As part of Melanoma Awareness Month, Save Your Skin Foundation proudly partnered with the Melanoma Network of Canada to create a patient guide on navigating adjuvant therapies for melanoma. Download your copy HERE!

What is Stage III melanoma?

Stage III melanoma has spread to the lymph nodes. Stage III can be divided into 4 categories based on the evolution of the tumour and the extent of the spread to the lymph nodes. These categories are classified as A, B, C and D. These 4 categories are used to determine prognosis and treatment of the melanoma.

What is primary treatment for Stage III melanoma?

Surgery may be recommended once diagnosis is confirmed. The goal of surgery is to remove the cancer and the affected lymph nodes to minimize the risk of the cancer returning.

What is the genetic mutation of the tumour?

The tissue that was removed during surgery will be tested for specific gene mutations. Certain mutations can alter a gene. For example, approximately half of all melanomas have a mutation in the BRAF gene. Identifying associated gene mutations can help determine if additional treatment options such as targeted therapies are recommended.

Once you know the stage of the melanoma, you can discuss next steps of care with your health care professional. Click here to view the complete guide detailing treatment options and FAQs for your appointment with your Medical Oncologist:

SYSF Webinar: Post-ASCO 2021 Update

Post-ASCO 2021 Update with Dr. Hamid: Melanoma, Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers, and Ocular Melanoma

Presented by Dr. Omid Hamid, The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, Los Angeles, California, this webinar reviews late breaking news, key takeaways, clinical data and other updates presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting that took place in a virtual format in June 2021.

Dr. Hamid shares his key insights into what the landscape of melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancers, and ocular melanoma treatment looks like for the near future. As Director of the Melanoma Center at The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, Dr. Omid Hamid works to ensure that patients receive access to the most up-to-date therapeutics, based on molecular pathways of melanoma progression. Dr. Hamid is recognized as one of the preeminent Immuno-Oncologists and melanoma specialists in the world.

Click HERE to view the Presentation Recording on our youTube channel

Metastatic Melanoma on Canadian Health & Family – with Dr. Marla Shapiro

Watch this video which aired May 10, 2021:

Melanomas on the skin usually start as areas of pigmentation that’s changed or irregular. If they are noticed and picked up early, they can often be removed. But in some cases it turns into something much greater.

In this segment, we will hear from Dr. Marcus Butler from Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Kathy Barnard from Save Your Skin, and Shannon, who has been living with metastatic melanoma since 2005. They will be telling their stories, and sharing support options for those seeking education on metastatic melanoma.

For more information please visit Health and Family Metastatic Melanoma – Health and Family

Post-ESMO Webinar with Dr. Dummer: Skin Cancer News 2020

Webinar Recording Available! Click HERE

Presented by Professor Reinhard Dummer, Professor of the University of Zurich and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Dermatology in the University Hospital of Zürich, Switzerland, this webinar reviews late breaking news, key takeaways, clinical data and other updates presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Virtual Congress Annual Meeting September-October 2020. Dr. Dummer shares his key insights into what the landscape of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer treatment looks like for the near future. Watch until the end to see Dr. Dummer and Kathy Barnard discuss hope and survivorship in melanoma skin cancer.

***

Prof. Reinhard Dummer, MD
Vice-Chairman, Department of Dermatology
University Hospital of Zürich, Switzerland

Professor Reinhard Dummer is Professor of the University of Zurich and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Dermatology in the University Hospital of Zürich, Switzerland and is a key thought leader in worldwide cutaneous oncology. Currently he is heading of the Skin Cancer Unit and the Clinical Trial Unit of the Department of Dermatology. Professor Dummer began his medical education in haematology and oncology before successfully completing his dermatology residency in Würzburg, Germany, and Zürich in 1992.

He is Board Certified in allergology, clinical immunology, dermatology and dermatopathology.

Professor Dummer’s principal research interests are molecular biology, immunology and immunotherapy of cutaneous malignancies, including cutaneous lymphomas and melanomas. He has published more than 741 papers with a cumulative impact factor of more than 6372. He w as past-president of the Melanoma Project Group of the Swiss Institute for Applied Cancer Research since 1999 -2016, is a member of German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina) and is past board member of the Society for Melanoma Research and past President of the International Society for Cutaneous Lymphomas.

He is a founding and board member of the European Association of Dermato-Oncology (EADO), ESMO, URPP and past President of the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR).

In the last 20 years, he has developed a leading skin cancer center. This center offers best medical care, a network of clinical trials reaching from phase I to phase III. His contributions are acknowledge in many publications in outstanding journals such as New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Lancet Oncology, Press etc. Locally he is intensify cooperation with basic research group at the University and the federal University (ETH). This has resulted in translation work improving our understanding of cutaneous malignancies.

To view the webinar recording please CLICK HERE

ASCO 2020 Event Report

In 2020, the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting took place from May 29th-31st, with the last two days being devoted to online presentations.

This report will be dedicated to the presentations that representatives from Save Your Skin Foundation remotely attended, with a focus on melanoma, innovative treatments, and survivorship. The information in this report is sourced directly, occasionally verbatim, from ASCO presentations and abstracts. If you require more information on an abstract, the clinical trial numbers (where available) are included for your reference.

Please CLICK HERE to read or download the report.

Feedback or questions? Contact us – info@saveyourskin.ca