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Vitiligo-like depigmentation (VLD) is an immune-related adverse event (irAE) of checkpoint-inhibitor (CPI) treatment, which has previously been associated with a favourable outcome. The aim of this study was to explore clinical, biological and prognostic features of melanoma patients with VLD under CPI-treatment and to explore whether they exhibit a characteristic immune response profile in peripheral blood. Melanoma patients developing VLD under CPI were included in a prospective observational single-center cohort study. We collected and analysed clinical parameters, photographs and serum from 28 VLD patients. They received pembrolizumab (36%), nivolumab (11%), ipilimumab/nivolumab (32%) or clinical trial medications (21%). We performed a high-throughput proteomics assay (Olink), in which we identified a distinct proteomic signature in VLD patients in comparison to non-VLD CPI patients. Our clinical assessments revealed that VLD lesions had a predominantly symmetrical distribution pattern, with mostly smaller "freckle-like" macules and a preferential distribution in UV-exposed areas. Patients with previous targeted therapy showed a significantly longer time lapse between CPI initiation and VLD onset compared to non-pre-treated patients (12.5 vs. 6.25 months). Therapy responders exhibited a distinct proteomic profile when compared with non-responders in VLD such as upregulation of EDAR and downregulation of LAG3. ITGA11 was elevated in the VLD-group when compared to non-VLD-CPI-treated melanoma patients. Our findings demonstrate that on a proteomic level, VLD is characterized by a distinct immune signature when compared to CPI-treated patients without VLD and that therapy responsiveness is reflected by a characteristic immune profile. The pathomechanisms underlying these findings and how they could relate to the antitumoral response in melanoma remain to be elucidated.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cancers14194576 | DOI Listing |
Int J Dermatol
July 2025
Department of Dermatology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Ann Surg
September 2025
Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.
Objective: We hypothesized that anatomic location of metastatic melanoma is associated with the degree of therapeutic response to TVEC.
Summary: TVEC is the first FDA-approved injectable oncolytic virus to treat unresectable stage IIIB-IV metastatic melanoma patients. Previously published real-world outcomes demonstrated a 39% complete response (CR) rate to TVEC.
Clin Anat
September 2025
Division in Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Department of Oral Biology, Human Identification Research Institute, BK21 FOUR Project, Yonsei University College of Dentistry, Seoul, South Korea.
Plantar melanomas present unique diagnostic and surgical challenges owing to substantial regional variations in skin thickness. Although the Breslow thickness remains the primary criterion for staging and surgical excision, its application on plantar melanoma is complicated by the inherent thickness of the glabrous plantar epidermis, which may lead to tumor depth overestimation. Accurate assessment of plantar skin thickness is essential for optimizing staging accuracy and refining surgical margins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Biomed Opt
September 2025
Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover Centre for Optical Technologies, Hannover, Germany.
Significance: Melanoma's rising incidence demands automatable high-throughput approaches for early detection such as total body scanners, integrated with computer-aided diagnosis. High-quality input data is necessary to improve diagnostic accuracy and reliability.
Aim: This work aims to develop a high-resolution optical skin imaging module and the software for acquiring and processing raw image data into high-resolution dermoscopic images using a focus stacking approach.
Cureus
August 2025
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, GBR.
Objectives: This study evaluates the management of paediatric melanoma at a tertiary centre, comparing clinical practices with international guidelines from the European Cooperative Study Group for Pediatric Rare Tumors (EXPeRT) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) to highlight real-world practices and make recommendations for future research priorities. The differences between conventional and Spitzoid melanomas were also explored in a subgroup analysis.
Background: Paediatric melanoma is rare and is most commonly caused by UV exposure or familial mutations.