Francais
info@saveyourskin.ca

melanoma treatment

SYSF Webinar – Melanoma Treatment FAQs: Do’s, Don’ts, and How to Manage Side Effects

 

Recording available! 

Join us to hear the latest updates on current immunotherapy and targeted therapy treatments for melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers in Canada. 

Dr. Smylie and Dr. Iafolla will hold a panel discussion on recommended dietary and lifestyle habits while on treatment, as well as managing toxicities from fever and pneumonitis to dermatologic complications from immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Presenters:

  • Dr. Michael Smylie, Medical Oncologist, Cross Cancer Institute, Professor, Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton
  • Dr. Marco Iafolla, MD, MSc, FRCPC, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto, Medical Oncologist, Genitourinary and Cutaneous Site Lead, William Osler HS

Click HERE to view the recording!

 

Read more

SYSF Webinar! MANAGEMENT OF MELANOMA TREATMENT in the COVID-19 Setting

Recording available!

MANAGEMENT OF MELANOMA TREATMENT in the COVID-19 Setting

Hear a panel discussion from the Surgical and Medical Oncology perspective on how melanoma treatment has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Focus:

Treatment side effects
Common side effects of targeted therapy and immunotherapies in melanoma
How side effects may overlap with COVID-19 symptoms
What to watch for
How to effectively manage key common side effects of targeted therapy and immunotherapies

Presenters:
Nicole Look Hong, MD, M.Sc., Surgeon, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Marcus Butler, MD, Medical Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Massey Nematollahi, RN, CNS, OCN, CON, Immuno-Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist, William Osler Health System

Facilitator:
Kathy Barnard, melanoma survivor, and Founder, Save Your Skin Foundation

Click HERE to listen to the recording  

To view the educational video developed by the team at William Osler Health System please Click HERE

To learn more about the COVID-19 Cancer Patient Support Hub and resources mentioned by Kathy, please visit this website:   https://covid19oncologyresources.ca/

 

 

Read more

New COVID-19 Information Hub

Many cancer patients across Canada have experienced changes, delays and cancellations to their regular appointments and treatments as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to provide Canadians living with melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers with the most up-to-date information and resources related to COVID-19, we have created the COVID-19 Information Hub.

This Hub is designed with resources specifically for melanoma and skin cancer patients, caregivers and their families, as well as general  information, and province-specific resources. The Hub will be continually updated as new information becomes available.

Check out the COVID-19 Information Hub here.

We want to thank all of our patients, caregivers and families for letting us know how the situation with COVID-19 has been affecting their care, and we encourage them to continue doing so.

As the situation progresses, we want you to know that we are connecting with our community of physicians to get as much information as we can. We will continue to update you on any new information as it develops.

We also moderate a Facebook group called Melanoma Connect, where melanoma patients can exchange important information.

If you are a patient with melanoma or non-melanoma skin cancer, please do not hesitate to reach out to us for support at info@saveyourskin.ca.

Read more

ASCO 2019 Event Report

The 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting took place from May 31-June 4, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. 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 updates on the innovative treatment of melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancer, and ocular melanoma. Included in the report are detailed recollections of these panels, in chronological order.

Please CLICK HERE to download and read the report.

 

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

Read more

PeerVoice – Advances in Adjuvant Melanoma Therapy

We are pleased to announce that the PeerVoice activity entitled ”Advances in Adjuvant Melanoma Therapy: Working Together To Improve Outcomes’’ has now launched online.  SYSF is proud to endorse this work, and applauds the valuable work put into this educational resource.

This initiative features two expert panel discussions, verbally presented by:

Michael Smylie, MBCHB, FRCPC, Edmonton, Alberta

Joël Claveau, MD, FRCPC, Quebec City, Quebec

Carolyn Nessim, MD, MSc, FRCSC, FACS, Ottawa, Ontario

Presentation 1: Adjuvant Melanoma Therapy: Optimizing the Care Pathway

Presentation 2: Adjuvant Melanoma Therapy: Experts Appraise the Evidence

These verbal interview-style presentations are also available as downloadable transcripts, click here to view or read the presentations: PeerVoice: Advances in Adjuvant Melanoma Therapy

PeerVoice activities are designed to fill the unmet needs of the medical community by reporting information pertaining to clinically relevant advances and developments in the science and practice of medicine.  This independent learning activity is supported by Merck Canada Inc.

 

NEW! December 2019:  Minding the Melanoma Patient With Brain Metastases: Updates to Personalize Care

Listen to the recording, and/or download the presentation, by:
Marcus Butler, Medical Oncologist, University of Toronto  |  Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

Raising the Bar With Immunotherapy for Melanoma and Kidney Cancer: Strategies to Enhance Care. This independent learning activity is funded by Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada Co.

Read more

Introducing Think Uveal Melanoma, by Immunocore

We are happy to share with you the launch of chapter 1 of a new Uveal Melanoma Disease Education Campaign website by Immunocore, thinkuvealmelanoma.com. (Note: Please use Google Chrome for the best user experience). We are pleased to endorse this website and to share it with our Medical Advisory Board and membership.

This initiative is an important milestone in educating and increasing the knowledge of ocular and uveal melanoma (UM) and its unique requirements, for healthcare professionals. This includes increasing the knowledge surrounding the diagnosis, referral, monitoring and treatment of UM, across the full spectrum of key stakeholders, such as Ophthalmologists, Ocular Oncologists, Retina Specialists, Medical Oncologists, in both community and academic centers.

This global campaign consists of three chapters that will be launched over the course of this year. Chapters 2 and 3 will educate healthcare professionals about the differences between uveal and cutaneous melanoma and the limitations of current treatment options. Global experts in the field of UM are partnering with Immunocore to create meaningful and relevant content. A multi-channel engagement campaign is surrounding the website to reach a broad range of key stakeholders and allowing for multiple virtual touchpoints.

Ultimately, Immunocore wants to

  • raise awareness of the unmet need in UM
  • educate physicians and other key stakeholders on metastatic UM (mUM) and the differences to metastatic cutaneous melanoma (mCM)
  • convey their commitment to exploring ways to address the distinct unmet needs of patients with UM

 

Click here to view the website, background information, and even an interactive module which simulates possible symptoms of UM: thinkuvealmelanoma.com

Read more

Melanoma Awareness Month – May 2019

May is Melanoma Awareness Month

May is Melanoma Awareness Month and it’s the perfect time of year to review a few easy steps we can all take to Be Sun Safe!

Spread Awareness

Join us in spreading the word about Melanoma Month by using one of our facebook banners as your cover photo! They are available for download HERE:

Sun Safety

Help us share the message about Sun Safety! Download our Sun Safety infographics by clicking on the images below and share with your friends and family!

      

Examine Your Skin

Learn how to perform a monthly skin self-exam!  When caught early, skin cancer is very treatable.

Patient Support

For those living with melanoma, support can be vital to the healing process. Save Your Skin Foundation provides a collection of resources as well as several ways for patients to connect with others or with private support. If you know someone touched by melanoma, please help them to connect with us.

We provide one-on-one support through Founder Kathy Barnard. We also provide support from other patients and survivors through our initiative “I’m Living Proof”

Click HERE for a summary of the ways you can connect with other patients, survivors, and caregivers touched by melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers, and ocular melanoma.

Press Release

If you’re interested in what Save Your Skin is working on for Melanoma Awareness Month, check out our official press release, which includes vital information about melanoma rates in Canada, prevention and detection, and how to support those battling skin cancer.

Public Service Announcement

Click here to watch our new video cut about sun safety and skin cancer awareness:

 

 

Stay tuned for more updates throughout May – Melanoma Awareness Month!

Read more

SYSF Webinar: Ocular Melanoma

Ocular Melanoma – Innovative Treatments and Beyond

With Presenters:

Dr. Marcus Butler, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Dr. Omid Hamid, The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, Los Angeles, California

Nigel Deacon, Ocular Melanoma Survivor/Patient, British Columbia, Canada

This webinar provides an update on the landscape of metastatic ocular melanoma treatment in Canada and the United States. Dr. Hamid and Dr. Butler share their knowledge of current practices and care pathways, identifying the most pressing needs for patients. They also discuss innovative treatment options such as IMCgp100, as well as clinical trials available to Canadian patients with ocular or uveal melanoma. Nigel Deacon shares his experience with this rare cancer; Kathy Barnard facilitating.

Missed the webinar? Listen to a recording of the presentation here, or watch it on our YouTube channel here.

Read more

Introducing “ForPatients” by Roche

We are happy to announce the launch of an informative website about clinical trials by another of our supporting partners.  F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. has put together a website called ForPatients, which includes a search tool for finding clinical trials in various cancer indications, plus other medical conditions such as autoimmune or neurodegenerative disorders.  Anyone can search for clinical trials around the world; it is easy to navigate, and even includes an interactive map showing recruiting clinical trial locations.

ForPatients also contains detailed information about clinical trials in general, and discusses patients’ rights in and after a clinical trial. It also points out where to find published results of any given Roche trials, and it has general care tips for patients plus links to additional support resources.

We applaud Roche for this initiative, and wish patients around the world much success with this valuable new resource.  Click here to check out the new website:

ForPatients.Roche.com

 

Read more

SYSF Webinar: Treatment Options for Melanoma Patients in the Adjuvant Setting

Join us for this free webinar, which reviews the latest news and clinical data related to melanoma treatment in the adjuvant setting, as presented in the 2018 conference season.

‘Adjuvant’ refers to patients with a stage II or stage III diagnosis. The majority of adjuvant patients typically undergo surgery to have their tumour(s) removed, but are not given immunotherapy or targeted therapy to prevent recurrence of the disease despite a known high-risk of relapse and mortality. Melanoma is an aggressive cancer; stage III melanoma means the cancer has spread from skin cells into the lymphatic system, and poses a dangerous risk for spread to organs, which is what depicts a stage IV diagnosis.

Dr. Claveau shares his key insights into what the landscape of adjuvant melanoma immuno-oncology treatment looks like for the near future in Canada. Dr. Adrian Gunaratne details the science behind targeted therapy and what is coming for Canadian melanoma patients in the adjuvant setting with a BRAF positive mutation. The discussion continues with a patient and a caregiver both having had treatment access challenges in the adjuvant melanoma setting, and how their experiences impacted their lives and that of their families.

Presenters:

  • Dr. Joel Claveau, Medical Oncologist, Hotel-Dieu de Quebec, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC
  • Adrian Gunaratne, PhD, Medical Science Liaison – Solid Tumors, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada
  • Natalie Richardson, Adjuvant Melanoma Patient, Managing Director, Save Your Skin Foundation
  • Eyyub Hajiyev, Caregiver to a loved one recently diagnosed with melanoma in the adjuvant setting

Read more