2024
Causes of death and patterns of metastatic disease at the end of life for patients with advanced melanoma in the immunotherapy era
Lee D, McNamara M, Yang A, Yaskolko M, Kluger H, Tran T, Olino K, Clune J, Sznol M, Ishizuka J. Causes of death and patterns of metastatic disease at the end of life for patients with advanced melanoma in the immunotherapy era. Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research 2024, 37: 847-853. PMID: 39073002, DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.13188.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSite of metastasisPattern of metastatic diseaseMelanoma mortalityRetrospective observational cohort studyCause of cancer mortalityDistant lymph nodesObservational cohort studyDiagnosis to deathImmunotherapy eraAdvanced melanomaMetastatic diagnosisMetastatic diseaseMetastatic melanomaImmunotherapy treatmentRespiratory failureCause of deathMedian timeLymph nodesTherapeutic advancesCohort studyMelanomaImmunotherapyMechanism of deathPatientsEnd of lifeCauses of death and patterns of metastatic disease at the end of life for patients with advanced melanoma in the immunotherapy era.
Lee D, Yang A, McNamara M, Kluger H, Tran T, Olino K, Clune J, Sznol M, Ishizuka J. Causes of death and patterns of metastatic disease at the end of life for patients with advanced melanoma in the immunotherapy era. Journal Of Clinical Oncology 2024, 42: e21522-e21522. DOI: 10.1200/jco.2024.42.16_suppl.e21522.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchImmune checkpoint inhibitorsYale Cancer CenterAdvanced melanomaMetastatic diseaseMetastatic melanomaRespiratory failureSite of metastatic diseasePattern of metastatic diseaseDied of respiratory failureAnti-CTLA4 treatmentRetrospective observational cohort studyAnti-PD1 therapyDistant lymph nodesPatients aged >Site of diseaseSurvival of patientsObservational cohort studyMulti-system involvementDiagnosis to deathImmunotherapy eraAnti-PD1Checkpoint inhibitorsInstitutional review boardMetastatic sitesMetastatic diagnosisMelanocortin-1 Receptor Expression as a Marker of Progression in Melanoma
Su D, Djureinovic D, Schoenfeld D, Marquez-Nostra B, Olino K, Jilaveanu L, Kluger H. Melanocortin-1 Receptor Expression as a Marker of Progression in Melanoma. JCO Precision Oncology 2024, 8: e2300702. PMID: 38662983, PMCID: PMC11513442, DOI: 10.1200/po.23.00702.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMC1R expressionMelanoma progressionAssociated with shorter survivalStages of melanoma progressionCases of benign neviChronic sun exposureMarkers of progressionHuman melanoma tissuesBreslow thicknessMelanocortin-1Metastatic melanomaOverall survivalPrimary melanomaMetastatic tumorsMelanoma cohortReceptor expressionPredictive biomarkersAggressive melanomaPrimary lesionTissue microarrayShorter survivalMale sexQuantitative immunofluorescenceBenign neviClinical trialsDigital spatial proteomic profiling reveals immune checkpoints as biomarkers in lymphoid aggregates and tumor microenvironment of desmoplastic melanoma
Su D, Schoenfeld D, Ibrahim W, Cabrejo R, Djureinovic D, Baumann R, Rimm D, Khan S, Halaban R, Kluger H, Olino K, Galan A, Clune J. Digital spatial proteomic profiling reveals immune checkpoints as biomarkers in lymphoid aggregates and tumor microenvironment of desmoplastic melanoma. Journal For ImmunoTherapy Of Cancer 2024, 12: e008646. PMID: 38519058, PMCID: PMC10961546, DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-008646.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCTLA-4 expression levelsCancer-associated fibroblastsAssociated with worse survivalExpression of immune checkpointsLAG-3 expressionDesmoplastic melanomaLymphoid aggregatesCTLA-4PD-1Immune checkpointsIntratumoral leukocytesLAG-3Tumor compartmentsWorse survivalCD20+B cellsIncreased expression of immune checkpointsProgrammed cell death protein 1Macrophage/monocyte markerSentinel lymph node positivityCell death protein 1Associated with poor prognosisLymph node positivityDense fibrous stromaPotential prognostic significanceCore of tumorsImmunotherapy Initiation at the End of Life in Patients With Metastatic Cancer in the US
Kerekes D, Frey A, Prsic E, Tran T, Clune J, Sznol M, Kluger H, Forman H, Becher R, Olino K, Khan S. Immunotherapy Initiation at the End of Life in Patients With Metastatic Cancer in the US. JAMA Oncology 2024, 10: 342-351. PMID: 38175659, PMCID: PMC10767643, DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.6025.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchNon-small cell lung cancerEnd of lifeMonth of deathImmunotherapy initiationCohort studyMAIN OUTCOMEStage IV non-small cell lung cancerCharlson-Deyo comorbidity indexHigh metastatic burdenInitiation of immunotherapyNational prescribing patternsRisk-adjusted patientsImmune checkpoint inhibitorsRetrospective cohort studyStage IV melanomaPercentage of patientsHigh-volume centersLocation of metastasesLow-volume centersOdds of deathCell lung cancerNational Clinical DatabaseLow-volume facilitiesDrug Administration approvalCheckpoint inhibitorsImmunotherapy utilization in stage IIIA melanoma: less may be more
Frey A, Kerekes D, Khan S, Tran T, Kluger H, Clune J, Ariyan S, Sznol M, Ishizuka J, Olino K. Immunotherapy utilization in stage IIIA melanoma: less may be more. Frontiers In Oncology 2024, 14: 1336441. PMID: 38380358, PMCID: PMC10876869, DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1336441.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchStage IIIA melanomaHigh-volume centersRisk-adjusted survivalLow-volume centersImmunotherapy utilizationAdjuvant immunotherapyStage IIIATreatment of stage III melanomaAcademic centersMultivariable Cox proportional hazards regressionStage III melanomaNational Cancer DatabaseStage III diseaseFactors associated with receiptCox proportional hazards regressionCompare patient outcomesProportional hazards regressionIII melanomaImmunotherapy receiptReceiving immunotherapyIII diseaseImmunotherapy agentsOverall survivalSurvival benefitAdjuvant treatmentNCCN Guidelines® Insights: Merkel Cell Carcinoma, Version 1.2024.
Schmults C, Blitzblau R, Aasi S, Alam M, Amini A, Bibee K, Bolotin D, Bordeaux J, Chen P, Contreras C, DiMaio D, Donigan J, Farma J, Ghosh K, Harms K, Ho A, Lukens J, Manber S, Mark L, Medina T, Nehal K, Nghiem P, Olino K, Park S, Patel T, Puzanov I, Rich J, Sekulic A, Shaha A, Srivastava D, Thomas V, Tomblinson C, Venkat P, Xu Y, Yu S, Yusuf M, McCullough B, Espinosa S. NCCN Guidelines® Insights: Merkel Cell Carcinoma, Version 1.2024. Journal Of The National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2024, 22: e240002. PMID: 38244274, DOI: 10.6004/jnccn.2024.0002.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsConceptsLocally advanced diseaseMerkel cell carcinomaAdvanced diseaseLocally advanced Merkel cell carcinomaAdvanced Merkel cell carcinomaNode negative statusSystemic therapy optionsIn-transit diseaseNCCN Guidelines InsightsCell carcinomaNCCN GuidelinesClinical stageDiagnostic workupTherapy optionsTreatment optionsNegative statusInstitutional reviewNCCNDiseaseGuidelinesOptionsCarcinomaWorkupPatientsPanel members
2023
Educational Review: Clinical Application of Immune Checkpoint Blockade for the Treatment of Melanoma
Su D, Kluger H, Olino K. Educational Review: Clinical Application of Immune Checkpoint Blockade for the Treatment of Melanoma. Annals Of Surgical Oncology 2023, 31: 1865-1879. PMID: 37989956, DOI: 10.1245/s10434-023-14587-w.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsBasal Cell Skin Cancer, Version 2.2024, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.
Schmults C, Blitzblau R, Aasi S, Alam M, Amini A, Bibee K, Bordeaux J, Chen P, Contreras C, DiMaio D, Donigan J, Farma J, Ghosh K, Harms K, Ho A, Lukens J, Mark L, Medina T, Nehal K, Nghiem P, Olino K, Park S, Patel T, Puzanov I, Rich J, Sekulic A, Shaha A, Srivastava D, Thomas V, Tomblinson C, Venkat P, Xu Y, Yu S, Yusuf M, McCullough B, Espinosa S. Basal Cell Skin Cancer, Version 2.2024, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. Journal Of The National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2023, 21: 1181-1203. PMID: 37935106, DOI: 10.6004/jnccn.2023.0056.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsConceptsBasal cell carcinomaNCCN Clinical Practice GuidelinesClinical practice guidelinesSkin cancerTreatment optionsPractice guidelinesBasal cell skin cancerPrevalent treatment optionPrevious medical therapyLimitation of functionBCC occurrenceMedical therapyRisk stratificationBCC developmentCell carcinomaCancerCommon formOncologyAnnual rateEstimated ratesGuidelinesKey playersSurgeryCarcinomaHigh frequencyCombinatorial Immunotherapy with Agonistic CD40 Activates Dendritic Cells to Express IL12 and Overcomes PD-1 Resistance.
Krykbaeva I, Bridges K, Damsky W, Pizzurro G, Alexander A, McGeary M, Park K, Muthusamy V, Eyles J, Luheshi N, Turner N, Weiss S, Olino K, Kaech S, Kluger H, Miller-Jensen K, Bosenberg M. Combinatorial Immunotherapy with Agonistic CD40 Activates Dendritic Cells to Express IL12 and Overcomes PD-1 Resistance. Cancer Immunology Research 2023, 11: 1332-1350. PMID: 37478171, DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-22-0699.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPD-1 resistanceDendritic cellsTumor regressionAnti-PD-1 resistanceActivates Dendritic CellsCytokine secretion profilingSystemic cytokine profileTriple therapy combinationInnate immune activationAdaptive immune responsesComplete tumor regressionMajority of miceSignificant clinical challengeMouse melanoma modelT cell activationAgonistic CD40Checkpoint inhibitorsDC subsetsTriple therapyCytokine profileImmune activationCombinatorial immunotherapyTherapy combinationsT cellsClinical challengeImpact of COVID-19 on the gastrointestinal surgical oncology patient population
Bakkila B, Marks V, Kerekes D, Kunstman J, Salem R, Billingsley K, Ahuja N, Laurans M, Olino K, Khan S. Impact of COVID-19 on the gastrointestinal surgical oncology patient population. Heliyon 2023, 9: e18459. PMID: 37534012, PMCID: PMC10391949, DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18459.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGI cancer surgeryPreoperative chemotherapyCancer surgerySurgical careCOVID-19 pandemicCOVID-19Tertiary referral centerOncology patient populationFirst COVID-19 waveGI cancer casesCOVID-19 burdenHigh COVID-19 burdenEmergency surgeryReferral centerCOVID-19 waveOncology visitsGastrointestinal cancerGI cancersPatient populationStudy criteriaCancer careTreatment characteristicsCancer casesCase volumePatientsCase report: Metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma presenting seven years after loco-regional disease resection of primary tumor with interval in-transit and nodal metastases
Rusheen J, Clune J, Ariyan S, Baumann R, Kluger H, Olino K, Weiss S. Case report: Metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma presenting seven years after loco-regional disease resection of primary tumor with interval in-transit and nodal metastases. Frontiers In Oncology 2023, 13: 1217816. PMID: 37476373, PMCID: PMC10354444, DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1217816.Peer-Reviewed Case Reports and Technical NotesMerkel cell carcinomaDuration of surveillanceLate recurrenceCell carcinomaMetastatic Merkel cell carcinomaPrimary Merkel cell carcinomaMetastases 15 monthsSuch late recurrencesPredictors of recurrenceNodal recurrenceDefinitive therapyFirst recurrenceDisease resectionNodal metastasisPhysical examinationRare tumorPrimary diagnosisPrimary tumorRisk factorsHigh riskNational guidelinesRecurrenceOptimal durationPatientsCarcinomaThe role of imaging and sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with T3b-T4b melanoma with clinically negative disease
Papageorge M, Maina R, King A, Lee V, Baumann R, Pucar D, Ariyan S, Khan S, Weiss S, Clune J, Olino K. The role of imaging and sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with T3b-T4b melanoma with clinically negative disease. Frontiers In Oncology 2023, 13: 1143354. PMID: 37223678, PMCID: PMC10200883, DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1143354.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPre-operative imagingCross-sectional imagingFree survivalLow-risk melanomaHigh-risk melanomaHigh-risk diseaseKaplan-Meier methodRecurrence-free survivalSentinel node biopsyWide local excisionManagement of patientsLog-rank testRole of imagingPropensity-score matchingIncidental cancerT4b diseaseMetastatic diseaseNodal diseaseNode biopsyPerioperative periodMedian ageNegative diseaseSentinel lymphLocal excisionNodular melanomaLenvatinib or anti-VEGF in combination with anti-PD-1 differentially augments anti-tumor activity in melanoma
Tran T, Caulfield J, Zhang L, Schoenfeld D, Djureinovic D, Chiang V, Oria V, Weiss S, Olino K, Jilaveanu L, Kluger H. Lenvatinib or anti-VEGF in combination with anti-PD-1 differentially augments anti-tumor activity in melanoma. JCI Insight 2023, 8: e157347. PMID: 36821392, PMCID: PMC10132152, DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.157347.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsTumor microenvironmentAnti-VEGFCytokine/chemokine signalingCytokine/chemokine profilingBlood-brain barrier modelBlood vesselsLeukocyte transmigrationTumor-associated blood vesselsTumor-associated macrophagesIntratumoral blood vesselsAnti-angiogenesis effectAnti-tumor activityExtracranial diseasePlasmacytoid DCsImmune checkpointsPD-1Melanoma murine modelImmune infiltrationBBB modelChemokine profilingEndothelial stabilizationMurine modelLenvatinibCombined targetingMelanoma modelEvaluating the medical management of locally advanced and metastatic basal cell carcinoma: A single institutional retrospective analysis investigating efficacy, safety, and tolerability
Belzer A, Pach J, Mortlock R, Clune J, Olino K, Sznol M, Bhatia A, Burtness B, Christensen S, Leventhal J. Evaluating the medical management of locally advanced and metastatic basal cell carcinoma: A single institutional retrospective analysis investigating efficacy, safety, and tolerability. JAAD International 2023, 11: 174-175. PMID: 37252181, PMCID: PMC10213716, DOI: 10.1016/j.jdin.2023.02.007.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMalignant Melanoma in Older Adults: Different Patient or Different Disease?
Sasson D, Smetona J, Parsaei Y, Papageorge M, Ariyan S, Olino K, Clune J. Malignant Melanoma in Older Adults: Different Patient or Different Disease? Cureus 2023, 15: e34742. PMID: 36909026, PMCID: PMC9998075, DOI: 10.7759/cureus.34742.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMelanoma-specific survivalRecurrence-free survivalOlder patientsT2 tumorsNodal positivityMetastatic progressionOlder adultsConclusion Older adultsLog-rank testingKaplan-Meier analysisT4 tumorsYounger patientsT1 tumorsBreslow thicknessClinical outcomesTumor characteristicsTumor thicknessSingle institutionClinical behaviorMalignant melanomaLower incidenceHigh incidencePatientsConsecutive sampleAge groupsPredictive accuracy of elevated mitotic rate on lymph node positivity and recurrence in thin melanomas
Ly C, Blaha O, Wei W, Galan A, Kluger H, Ariyan S, Olino K, Clune J. Predictive accuracy of elevated mitotic rate on lymph node positivity and recurrence in thin melanomas. Frontiers In Oncology 2023, 12: 1077226. PMID: 36686728, PMCID: PMC9853390, DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1077226.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMelanoma-specific mortalityElevated mitotic rateLymph node positivityMitoses/Mitotic rateT2 tumorsNode positivityThin melanomasSentinel lymph node positivityImportant prognostic factorSingle academic centerPrimary cutaneous melanomaLow mitotic ratePositive SLNNon-ulcerated lesionsSLN biopsyT4 tumorsPatient demographicsPrognostic factorsSLN positivityRetrospective reviewTumor characteristicsBreslow thicknessCutaneous melanomaT categoryCurrent diagnosis and management of cardiac melanoma: a case series and review
Long A, Chang J, Glahn J, Olino K, Tran T, Clune J. Current diagnosis and management of cardiac melanoma: a case series and review. Journal Of Cancer Metastasis And Treatment 2023, 9: null-null. DOI: 10.20517/2394-4722.2022.113.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchUse of immunotherapyCardiac melanomaCardiac tumorsSurveillance imagingMalignant melanomaRoutine surveillance imagingCardiac metastasisCase seriesCDKN2A variantsClinical findingsAutopsy studyBRAF mutationsNRAS mutationsPatientsCurrent diagnosisImmunotherapyMelanomaGenetic profilingHigh rateTumorsDiagnosisImagingMetastasisTherapySymptoms
2022
The spectrum of cutaneous immune-related adverse events in patients with skin of color
Belzer A, Mortlock R, Olamiju B, Olino K, Cohen J, Leventhal J. The spectrum of cutaneous immune-related adverse events in patients with skin of color. Journal Of The American Academy Of Dermatology 2022, 88: 1156-1158. PMID: 36470309, PMCID: PMC10838520, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2022.11.051.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchUnmeasured factors are associated with the use of completion lymph node dissection (CLND) in melanoma
Leonard L, Beaty L, Thomas M, Quinn C, Colborn K, de Araujo T, Torphy R, Assumpção L, Olino K, Studts C, Franco S, McCarter M, Stewart C, Gleisner A. Unmeasured factors are associated with the use of completion lymph node dissection (CLND) in melanoma. Journal Of Surgical Oncology 2022, 127: 716-726. PMID: 36453464, DOI: 10.1002/jso.27153.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCompletion lymph node dissectionSentinel lymph nodesPositive sentinel lymph nodesLymph node dissectionNode dissectionMultivariable mixed-effects logistic regression modelGovernment-based insuranceNational Cancer DatabasePrimary tumor locationStage III melanomaEffect of patientContribution of patientMixed effects logistic regression modelsLogistic regression modelsTumor factorsOlder patientsSurvival benefitLymph nodesSurgical excisionStandard treatmentTumor locationCancer DatabasePatient variablesPatientsLower limbs