Page 3: Stopping melanoma in its tracks

“We have some of the world’s best here in Australia with Professor Georgina Long and her team leading the way in research, trials and saving lives.” he said.

Peter urges others to join him by registering and raising funds for Melanoma March 2018. “We will be back in 2018, to raise awareness and much needed funds for research,” Peter said. “We can’t do it alone.”

Stage IV. “It was like having a death sentence hanging over my head,” Peter said. Peter participated in an MIA clinical trial of nivolumab. The results have been promising, with Peter having a complete metabolic response and the tumours in his abdomen and liver reducing by some 75%.

“I am living proof of the power of research and what can be achieved when the world’s best minds focus on coming up with new and innovative treatments,” Peter said.

Peter and his family rallied for Melanoma March in 2017 and raised more than $1,500 for research.

When 58-year-old Peter Heywood noticed a small lump on his scalp he was surprised when his biopsy came back as Stage III melanoma.

He had initial surgery to remove the primary tumour and lymph nodes in his neck and shoulder. But he was devastated by news that his melanoma had progressed to

Melanoma Institute Australia Newsletter, Edition 1, 2018

Momentum

Back: Elizabeth Liu is looking forward to celebrating five years of being melanoma free

Page 6: Smoking linked to increased risk of melanoma spreading

Page 5: A day in the life of…Dr Serigne Lo, Research and BioStatistics Manager

Peter marches for a cure

Register for Melanoma March 2018 by visiting melanomamarch.org.au

Peter Heywood with Professor Georgina Long at Melanoma March last year

Research update

MELANOMA INSTITUTE AUSTRALIA, NEWSLETTER EDITION 1, 2018, PAGE 2

You may have read in the news about our major research breakthroughs presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) conference in September. Ground-breaking results were shared from two clinical trials of adjuvant systemic therapies that will undoubtedly change the way we treat Stage III patients in future (full story opposite).

Drawing data primarily from the largest melanoma patient database in the world here at MIA, new research has been published in A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, the most highly ranked medical journal in the world. This research forms the basis of the updated international guidelines for staging melanoma.

This underpins the 8th Edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging System for melanoma. The findings will ultimately provide better prognostic estimates and help classify patients more accurately for clinical trials.

MIA will soon host a symposium for the academic and medical communities to mark the lifetime contributions of a number of outstanding melanoma clinicians, notably Professor John Thompson AO, Professor Rick Kefford AM, Professor Roger Uren, Professor Stan McCarthy AO and Professor Peter Hersey. In addition to celebrating our luminaries, The Ultimate Melanoma Masterclass will also be an opportunity to share with the academic and medical community the latest advances in clinical management and research of melanoma. We look forward to welcoming our colleagues to this important occasion.

For a comprehensive review of our 2017 research achievements, visit our Research Blog at melanoma.org.au

Professors Georgina Long and Richard ScolyerConjoint Medical DirectorsMelanoma Institute Australia

The research funding environment has never been more challenging, with many researchers across the country missing out in the most recent National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding round. This makes the support for research MIA receives from the community ever more essential. I am very pleased to share, however, that an MIA consortium led by Professor Graham Mann has received a Centre of Research Excellence grant; Professor Richard Scolyer a coveted Practitioner Fellowship; and Associate Professor Anne Cust a Career Development Fellowship.

Thankfully, even if grants are harder to secure, the honours just keep coming. At the 2017 Cancer Institute NSW Premier’s Awards, Professors Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer and their team received the Award for Excellence in Translational Cancer Research. Professor Rick Kefford AM was honoured as Outstanding Cancer Researcher of the Year. Professor Helen Rizos and the Melanoma Translational Research Team took home the Wildfire Award for their highly cited publication which has changed the standard of care for patients with BRAF-mutant advanced melanoma. And Professors Long and Scolyer were also announced as Fellows of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

I hope you enjoy reading about the research breakthroughs achieved by our talented and dedicated teams.

Thank you for your support.

Carole RenoufCEOMelanoma Institute Australia

Carole’s column

Welcome to our summer edition of Momentum. And we have been experiencing a lot of momentum!

PAGE 3, NEWSLETTER EDITION 1, 2018, MELANOMA INSTITUTE AUSTRALIA

Stopping melanoma in its tracks

Results from two international clinical trials, known as COMBI-AD and CheckMate 238, proved successful in preventing the spread of disease in Stage III melanoma patients whose tumours had been surgically removed. Until now, these patients were at a high risk of their disease progressing to advanced melanoma.

“Until now, Stage III melanoma patients who have had their tumours surgically removed have simply had to play the waiting game, to see if their melanoma would metastasise,” said study author Professor Georgina Long, Conjoint Medical Director of Melanoma Institute Australia and Chair of Melanoma Medical Oncology and Translational Research at The University of Sydney.

Researchers from Melanoma Institute Australia recently made an important move in the battle to beat melanoma, successfully trialling a combination of new treatments to stop the disease in its tracks and prevent it from spreading to distant organs.

“These results will change the way we treat melanoma patients as well as their quality of life.”

Professor Georgina Long

Renae Aslanis was a melanoma patient on the

COMBI-AD clinical trial

“Results from these trials suggest we can stop the disease in its tracks – effectively preventing it from spreading and saving lives. Our ultimate goal of making melanoma a chronic rather than a terminal illness is now so much closer to being achieved,” she said.

In the COMBI-AD trial, BRAF positive patients received a combination of targeted therapies (dabrafenib and trametinib) or placebo for 12 months. It decreased the chances of resected Stage III melanoma from recurring and also increased overall survival.

The CheckMate 238 trial involved patients with high risk Stage III and Stage IV disease who have had all melanoma surgically removed. They were treated with the immunotherapy nivolumab or ipilimumab for 12 months. Results showed nivolumab decreased the chance of relapse and had a superior safety profile over ipilimumab, regardless of BRAF mutation status.

These results were presented in September at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2017 Congress and published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

History teacher and mother Renae Aslanis (pictured) was a patient on the COMBI-AD trial. After having 10 lymph nodes removed, she participated in the clinical trial rather than just “watching and waiting”. Now four-and-a-half years later, she is still going strong with no melanoma recurrence! Read her full story at melanoma.org.au

Here are some ways to protect yourself from over-exposure to harmful UV rays.

AVOID exposure to direct sunlight during the middle of the day (11am - 3pm), when UV rays are most intense.

COVER yourself when out in the sun - wear long sleeves and long pants if possible.

WEAR a hat with a wide brim (7.5cms), to protect the most vulnerable areas of your skin like your nose, cheeks, ears and scalp.

APPLY a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 50+ every 2 hours and reapply after swimming or exercise.

WEAR wrap-around sunglasses.

We are excited to announce our new partnership with Piranha Golf.

Piranha raises essential funds for melanoma research from the sale of premium, custom made fitted golf clubs and accessories and by hosting corporate golf events.

If you are interested in holding a fundraising golf day you could consider purchasing MIA branded golf accessories from Piranha Golf to show your support.

MELANOMA INSTITUTE AUSTRALIA, NEWSLETTER EDITION 1, 2018, PAGE 4

Intense, intermittent exposure leading to sunburn — particularly in the years prior to puberty — is dangerous. Melanoma can develop decades after such exposure. Although genetics also play a key role, increasing levels of sun exposure are associated with an increased risk of melanoma.

Did you know?

As part of our Christmas Appeal, we sent a decoration to our supporters and asked them to send a message of support for Karine, a mum fighting melanoma.Thank you for the time you have taken to write these messages of support and for sending them back to us.

Your messages have given Karine hope and inspire our researchers as they search for a cure.

Thank you to our 10 participants who took on the challenge to trek the Great Wall of China. Team Melanoma challenged themselves physically and emotionally with the one goal in mind: to help end melanoma.

Together they raised more than $72,000 and conquered the Great Wall of China.

What an amazing achievement!

Team Melanoma in ChinaMessages for Karine MIA branded golf balls

PAGE 5, NEWSLETTER EDITION 1, 2018, MELANOMA INSTITUTE AUSTRALIA

Leigh

Biostatisticians play an integral part in the multidisciplinary field of melanoma research.

“My typical day is busy. I provide support to researchers in the form of data analysis, reporting and — most importantly — in framing research questions into testable hypotheses. In evidence based medicine, randomised clinical trials are considered the gold standard to test the effectiveness of an intervention or new treatment.

As a biostatistician, I help design the framework for these clinical trials by determining the number of melanoma patients needed to compare two or more treatments. This involves defining criteria for efficacy and/or safety that answers the research question based on the best available evidence.

Biostatistics is an integral part of the multidisciplinary approach to meet the challenges of the dynamic field of melanoma research. I really enjoy collaborating and working with clinicians, researchers and students at MIA. I also manage the Research and Biostatistics Group at MIA which consists of two biostatisticians, a data analyst and six data managers.

The group is in charge of maintaining Melanoma Research Database v2 (MRD2), the world’s largest single collection of melanoma information that holds more than 45,000 individual patient records.

I have a fantastic team of people who are great to work with”.

A day in the life of... Serigne Lo

“It’s extremely rewarding to be involved with MIA; world leaders in melanoma research and education.”

We are thrilled to announce Brightside Cover as our new Principal Partner for Melanoma March 2018.

The team will once again provide volunteers in their call centre to engage with our fundraisers. Brightside staff members are also marching in memory of a dear team member, Cheryl Bowmaker, who they lost to melanoma in 2013.

We will be making #BrighterStrides in our Melanoma March campaign in 2018!

Australians rallied to support our Leave Your Hat On campaign, raising some $80,000 to support melanoma research. With country music legend Lee Kernaghan as ambassador, sports stars, celebrities and even politicians got behind the campaign.

Importantly, they also raised awareness about the need to be sun-safe.

Thank you to the Long Lunch, BrisbaneWe would like to extend a huge thank you to Rebecca Gibbons, Caroline Wilkinson and all of their guests and sponsors who attended The Long Lunch fundraiser in October in memory of Emma Betts.

Together they raised $27,156 for research into finding a cure for melanoma.

What an awesome effort!

Lee Kernaghan The Long Lunch committee

Dr Serigne Lo, Research and BioStatistics Manager

MELANOMA INSTITUTE AUSTRALIA, NEWSLETTER EDITION 1, 2018, PAGE 6

Leave your lasting legacy

Melanoma Institute Australia’s purpose is to prevent, treat and cure melanoma.

If you share our vision, please consider including a gift for Melanoma Institute Australia in your Will. Your gift could fund a new program or special technology — accelerating our progress to end melanoma.

Please call Gabriella Lang on 02 9911 7239 or email gabriella.lang@melanoma.org.au for a confidential discussion.

Smoking linked to increased risk of melanoma spreadingNeed another reason to quit smoking?

New research has shown that melanoma patients who smoke have an increased risk of their disease progressing compared to patients who do not smoke.

“There is now enough evidence to advise patients that they substantially increase the risk of their melanoma spreading if they smoke.” Professor John Thompson AO

An international collaboration of researchers, including a team from Melanoma Institute Australia, analysed data from two large clinical trials (MSLT-I and MSLT-II) to investigate whether there was any link between smoking and an increased risk of melanoma metastases in sentinel lymph nodes.

The study reviewed results for more than 4000 melanoma patients who were categorised as either current smokers, former smokers or those who had never smoked. They found that current smokers were significantly more likely to have a sentinel lymph node metastasis compared to former smokers or those who have never smoked. Other characteristics that correlated with a poorer prognosis were also seen in smokers. The primary melanomas were thicker and more ulcerated in patients who smoked compared to those who had never smoked.

“These results suggest that smoking may promote early spread of melanoma to regional lymph nodes,” commented co-author and Senior Surgeon at Melanoma Institute Australia, Professor John Thompson AO.

Although further investigation is needed to elucidate the exact mechanism responsible for this effect of smoking, we do know that it suppresses the immune system and creates a low oxygen environment around the tumour. This has been associated with increased metastasis and increased mortality in other cancers.

“The bottom line is that smoking is bad for you for many reasons that have been well-documented previously,” Professor Thompson adds. “This is just another good reason to quit.”

Leah is proud to be a Melanoma Life Saver

Meet a Melanoma Life Saver

Publication highlights

Virus-antibody combination shows promise for treating advanced melanoma

An international clinical trial has shown that a new treatment that combines the antibody pembrolizumab with a cancer-killing virus (called TVEC) improves the outcome for patients with advanced melanoma.

Ribas A, et al. (2017) “Oncolytic virotherapy promotes intratumoral T cell infiltration and improves anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.” Cell. 170(6):1109–1119.e10.

Leah became a Melanoma Life Saver after attending a patient information day when a family member was diagnosed with melanoma.

“Finding out about the progress made by MIA and their doctors gave me real hope. I chose to make a monthly gift to MIA to keep them top of mind as a really important cause.

Giving monthly is convenient and helps me budget. My donations are making a difference and MIA is thankful and appreciative of the support.

Fortunately, my family member is doing well; clearly the research being done works. But it’s not just about us, it’s about MIA and what they continue to do.

I want this for everyone. They are giving real hope to families and patients. That’s why I continue to donate.”

4 March – 20 May, 2018Melanoma March

Melanoma March events are taking place across the country! Please join us and help raise awareness and funds for melanoma research. To check the details for your local March and to register, go to melanomamarch.org.au

29 July, 2018Run Melbourne

Help us run for a cure! Email helen.roche@melanoma.org.au for more information about how you can help.

12 August, 2018Sydney – City2Surf

Team Melanoma needs runners to represent MIA and fundraise for us in 2018. If you’re interested, please get in touch helen.roche@melanoma.org.au

To become a Melanoma Life Saver, like Leah, please select a ‘per month’ option on your donation form. Thank you!

Upcoming events

Drawing data primarily from the largest melanoma patient database in the world at MIA, new research has been published that forms the basis of the updated international guidelines for staging melanoma.

Gershenwald JE, et al. (2017) “Melanoma staging: Evidence-based changes in the American Joint Committee on Cancer eighth edition cancer staging manual.” CA: 67: 472–492.

More information about this research is available on our Research Blog at melanoma.org.au

New research to guide clinicians to more accurately stage and manage melanoma patients

17 – 23 September, 2018MIA’s Outback Trek

The Larapinta Trail is regarded as one of Australia’s premier walking tracks. A team of hardy trekkers will be taking on the challenge and raising funds for MIA this September. It’s not too late to join us for an adventure of a lifetime! Register at melanoma.org.au

PAGE 7, NEWSLETTER EDITION 1, 2018, MELANOMA INSTITUTE AUSTRALIA

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To support MIA’s research please donate now by using the form below.

The gift of life

Elizabeth.

Remarkably by May 2013, all her tumours had disappeared completely.

“I’ve had no evidence of disease since May 2013, and I’m looking forward to celebrating five years of being melanoma free this year.

I’m also looking forward to maybe coming off the drugs completely,” said Elizabeth.

her melanoma and referred her to specialists at MIA where she had regular checkups and scans.

By December 2012, the melanoma had returned and this time spread to her spleen, stomach and other tissues.

So Elizabeth started on the combination trial of dabrafenib and trametinib through MIA in March 2013.

“These new drugs gave me hope that I would have a chance to be around for my family,” said

Elizabeth Liu is looking forward to celebrating five years of being melanoma free.In November 2011, Elizabeth noticed a lump on her chest following a medical procedure.

After her surgeon had the lump biopsied, the result confirmed it was advanced melanoma.

Elizabeth’s surgeon removed

Melanoma Institute AustraliaThe Poche Centre, 40 Rocklands Rd, Wollstonecraft NSW 2065

P: 1300 882 353E: info@melanoma.org.au

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Melanoma survivor and passionate supporter

Elizabeth Liu (right) celebrating her 50th

birthday by climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge with

her sister Elaine (left).

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