Courtney W. Hudgens

TL;DR: Examination of the oral and gut microbiome of melanoma patients undergoing anti-programmed cell death 1 protein (PD-1) immunotherapy suggested enhanced systemic and antitumor immunity in responding patients with a favorable gut microbiome as well as in germ-free mice receiving fecal transplants from responding patients.

TL;DR: B cell markers were the most differentially expressed genes in the tumours of responders versus non-responders and insights are provided into the potential role of B cells and tertiary lymphoid structures in the response to ICB treatment, with implications for the development of biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

TL;DR: The feasibility of neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockade in melanoma is described and the need for additional studies to optimize treatment regimens and to validate putative biomarkers is emphasized.

TL;DR: Neoadjuvant targeted therapy with BRAF and MEK inhibitors (such as dabrafenib and trametinib) might provide clinical benefit in this high-risk p opulation and was well tolerated with no occurrence of grade 4 adverse events or treatment-related deaths.

TL;DR: RNA sequencing on 88 resected MBMs and 42 patient-matched extracranial metastases identified significant immunosuppression and enrichment of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in MBMs.