New Strategies for the Treatment of Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Therapy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 5420
Special Issue Editors
Interests: systemic sclerosis; autoimmunity; angiogenesis; cancer-associated fibroblasts; irAE
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Current immunotherapy and targeted therapy for skin cancers: Perspectives on the Development of Novel Treatments
Since nivolumab became available in clinical practice in 2014, the treatment landscape for skin malignancies—including unresectable malignant melanoma—has undergone dramatic advancements. In fact, anti-PD-1 antibodies have significantly transformed the treatment of many cancers, including melanoma, lung cancer, and gastric cancer, serving as an anchor drug in various combination therapies, such as when combined with ipilimumab or relatlimab. Meanwhile, around the same time as the advent of immunotherapy in the field of skin cancer, the development of molecularly targeted drugs—for example, BRAF and MEK inhibitors for melanoma—was also underway. Based on various clinical trial results, Western countries recommend prioritizing immunotherapy as the first-line treatment for unresectable melanoma, with molecularly targeted therapy used sequentially. However, in East Asian melanoma patients, the efficacy of anti-PD-1 antibodies appears to differ from that observed in Western populations, with lower response rates observed. Furthermore, for BRAF wild-type melanoma that is resistant to anti-PD-1 antibodies, the combination therapy of nivolumab and ipilimumab remains the only treatment option available in Japan, although its safety and efficacy remain under debate. Due to these challenges, no established treatment exists for BRAF wild-type melanoma resistant to anti-PD-1 antibodies, particularly among Asian patients. Additionally, while clinical trials in Japan are evaluating the effects of anti-PD-1 antibodies on non-melanoma skin cancers, the therapeutic efficacy of immunotherapy for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma has been found to be lower compared to reports from overseas. This Special Issue discusses the racial differences in the effectiveness of immunotherapy—centered on anti-PD-1 antibodies, an anchor drug in the treatment of skin cancer—from the perspectives of both basic research and clinical studies.
Prof. Dr. Yoshihide Asano
Dr. Taku Fujimura
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- melanoma
- non-melanoma skin cancer
- immunotherapy
- anti-PD-1 antibody
- BRAF/MEK inhibitors
- racial differences
- prognosis
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