Dr. Weber Discusses Advancements in Melanoma

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, deputy director and co-director of the Melanoma Program, NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, 2016 Giant of Cancer Care^® in Melanoma, discusses exciting recent advancements for patients with melanoma.

A recent improvement is combining histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors with immunotherapy, says Weber. This combination can down-modulate T-regulator cells and up-regulate effector cells, which has potential to improve patient outcomes.

The opportunity to suppress T-regulatory cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells with a TRAIL antibody is being investigated in clinical trials. Additionally, the use of IDO inhibitors with PD-1 inhibition in patients with brain metastases has potential. However, it will be important to apply these ideas to the adjuvant setting. According to Weber, once patients develop stage III or high-risk stage II disease, it is best treated with a resection and then physicians should aim to prevent recurrence. There will be a lot of excitement in the adjuvant mode to get those ideas up there.