Melanoma Institute Australia

Melanoma Institute Australia Our mission is zero deaths from melanoma.

The Cancer Nurses Society of Australia - CNSA Annual Congress is the premier national event bringing together cancer nur...
17/06/2026

The Cancer Nurses Society of Australia - CNSA Annual Congress is the premier national event bringing together cancer nurses, researchers, educators and leaders in cancer care to connect, share knowledge and advance cancer nursing practice.

Ahead of the Congress, Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) was honoured to host the full-day pre-congress symposium, Toxic Clues: An Immunotherapy Investigation. With immunotherapy playing an increasingly important role across many tumour types, the symposium explored the recognition and management of treatment-related toxicities.

MIA’s Michelle Rosano, Shahn Coburn and Laura O’Driscoll chaired the event, with the first session, Immunotherapy Landscape, presented by Dr Piyush Grover, Medical Oncologist and former MIA fellow.

The day concluded with an interactive Immunotherapy Escape Room experience, providing participants with an engaging way to apply their knowledge.

16/06/2026

Progress in melanoma treatment over the past decade has been extraordinary - driven by research led by Melanoma Institute Australia and made possible by generous donors.

Where survival was once measured in months, today nearly 60% of patients with advanced melanoma are effectively cured.

Breakthroughs, such as neoadjuvant immunotherapy given before surgery, have transformed outcomes not only for melanoma, but also for cancers such as lung and kidney.

The most important work is still ahead of us!
Around 40% of patients still do not respond to current therapies. Improving outcomes will depend on the next generation of clinical trials - designed to personalise and optimise treatment for each individual.

Please donate this tax time to help fund the next breakthrough in melanoma treatment. Help save all lives from melanoma, and impact other cancers > https://bit.ly/43HUgkP

Donations $2 and over are tax deductible.

Join Melanoma Institute Australia & Melanoma Patients Australia for an informative series of three live webinars for mel...
16/06/2026

Join Melanoma Institute Australia & Melanoma Patients Australia for an informative series of three live webinars for melanoma patients and their carers. Held via zoom over three Tuesday nights in July from 7-8pm AEST.

Webinar 1, on Tues 14 July from 7-8pm AEST, helps you understand the role of your melanoma nurse, what they do and how they help.

Register for this free webinar or all three in the series> https://bit.ly/4ecfddM

14/06/2026

Immunotherapy Vodcast Series Ep.5: Hype vs Reality: The Future of Immunotherapy

In our fifth and final episode of our special vodcast series, Redefining Immunotherapy: Lessons from Melanoma, our experts - including Prof Georgina Long AO, Prof Alexander Menzies, A/Prof Ines Silva and A/Prof Matteo Carlino - discuss the future of immunotherapy, separating hype from reality and exploring the next frontier of cancer treatment.

From cellular therapies and personalised cancer vaccines to mRNA technology and biomarker-driven treatment selection, the panel examines the innovations that could reshape melanoma care over the next decade and the challenges that remain before these therapies become routine clinical practice.

This special edition vodcast is suitable for Medical Oncologists, Oncology Nurses and other health professionals.

Watch via YouTube > https://bit.ly/4eI4aZS or search for 'Melanoma Insights for Professionals' on Spotify, or your favourite podcast app.

It is with a heavy heart that we share the deeply sad news that our cherished colleague Prof Richard Scolyer AO passed a...
08/06/2026

It is with a heavy heart that we share the deeply sad news that our cherished colleague Prof Richard Scolyer AO passed away yesterday 7th June 2026.

Richard was a renowned pathologist and a world authority on skin cancer and melanoma diagnoses. His broad knowledge of and passion for pathology, along with his generous mentorship and teaching, have inspired many and transformed melanoma and skin cancer research and diagnosis across the globe.

Richard was an integral and esteemed part of Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) and the melanoma community for over two decades. His commitment to and advocacy for his profession, coupled with his enthusiasm for life and his genuine humanity, resonated broadly, and has left a lasting positive impact.

“I am deeply saddened to lose such a cherished colleague. Richard was a truly extraordinary pathologist - the 'pathologists' pathologist' - who also made generous time for clinicians navigating complex diagnostic cases, understanding that an accurate tissue diagnosis was critical to patient care. His knowledge was vast, his skill exceptional, with an unparalleled eye for accurate tissue diagnoses, and the precision to apply decades of experience where it mattered most.”

“He shared his expertise widely: through consultation on external specimens, through diagnostic and classification frameworks now used worldwide, and as a devoted teacher and mentor. Richard has left an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of working alongside him.” - Professor Georgina Long

MIA is proud to have instituted the Richard Scolyer Pathology Fellowship, honouring Richard's legacy, and his commitment to shaping the next generation of melanoma pathologists.

Our thoughts are with Richard's family during this difficult time, especially his wife Katie and children Emily, Matthew, and Lucy.

As we mourn the passing of Richard, we also reflect on a remarkable life that touched so many. Please consider sharing a tribute message for Richard on our MIA website> https://bit.ly/3QnnYsh

Richard's legacy will live on, continuing to inspire us all, as we continue working toward our vision of zero deaths from melanoma.

Progress in melanoma treatment is saving lives.Where survival was once measured in months, today nearly 60% of patients ...
05/06/2026

Progress in melanoma treatment is saving lives.

Where survival was once measured in months, today nearly 60% of patients with advanced melanoma are effectively cured.

Breakthroughs such as immunotherapy - including neoadjuvant immunotherapy given before surgery - have transformed outcomes not only for melanoma, but also for cancers such as lung and kidney.

The most important work is still ahead of us, as around 40% of advanced melanoma patients still do not respond to current therapies.

Any gift you can generously give this tax time will help fund the next breakthrough, and bring us closer to zero deaths from melanoma> https://bit.ly/4atzh8W

Donations $2 and over are tax deductible.

03/06/2026

In our fourth episode of our special vodcast series, Redefining Immunotherapy: Lessons from Melanoma, our experts provide their perspectives on Melanoma Treatment Strategy.

Drawing on decades of combined clinical experience, the panel explores how treatment paradigms are shifting from decisions around monotherapy versus combination immunotherapy, to increasingly nuanced conversations about treatment duration, rechallenge after progression and retreatment following toxicity.

The panel of experts including Prof Georgina Long AO, Prof Alex Menzies, Assoc Prof Matteo Carlino and Assoc Prof Ines da Silva, deliver candid expert debate, practical insights and clinical nuance as they explore the evolving landscape of immunotherapy treatment decisions in melanoma care.

The panel discusses:
• when to stop immunotherapy and why less treatment may sometimes be enough
• how PET complete metabolic response (CMR) is influencing treatment duration decisions
• rechallenge strategies after progression or immune-related toxicity
• managing patients after ipilimumab/nivolumab toxicity
• the growing move from adjuvant to neoadjuvant treatment approaches.

The discussion also tackles the biology behind durable immune responses, the role of surveillance imaging, and the emerging concept of “definitive immunotherapy”, highlighting how melanoma continues to lead the way in reshaping cancer care.

This special edition vodcast from “Melanoma Insights for Professionals” is suitable for Medical Oncologists, Oncology Nurses and other health professionals.

Watch on YouTube> https://bit.ly/4ekWBIr

If you missed our earlier episodes, take a look on YouTube or search “Melanoma Insights” in Spotify or your favourite podcast app.

Day 3 of delivered another wave of important clinical conversations and emerging evidence - and another strong day for...
03/06/2026

Day 3 of delivered another wave of important clinical conversations and emerging evidence - and another strong day for .

Prof Georgina Long AO presented findings from the NeoReNi II clinical trial led by Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA). The trial is the first in the world to trial pre-surgery (neoadjuvant) combination immunotherapy in patients with high-risk stage II melanoma. Neoadjuvant immunotherapy is already the standard of care for higher-risk stage III melanoma, and NeoReNi II asked whether the same strategy could help patients with high-risk stage II disease, where the melanoma has not yet spread to the lymph nodes. Results were very encouraging with 65% of patients having a major pathological response but need to be confirmed in larger studies.

Assoc Prof Matteo Carlino, medical oncologist, translational researcher and MIA faculty member, presented 5-year data from KEYNOTE-942, a randomised phase II trial of immunotherapy alone compared to immunotherapy + personalised mRNA vaccine (built from the patient's own tumour) in high-risk resected melanoma. The study showed a benefit in relapse-free and overall survival at 5 years. Assoc Prof Carlino explains more in this video > https://bit.ly/4uFIFyu

Rebecca Johnson, MIA's Melanoma Nurses Program Manager, presented a poster on SN-OPT, the first tool to integrate clinical complexity and facility capacity for specialist cancer nurse allocation. This data-driven model supports equitable access to nursing care, including for regional and socioeconomically disadvantaged patients, with potential for use across cancer streams and countries.

American Society of Clinical Oncology

There was a strong showing from Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) on Day 2 of with several poster presentations highl...
01/06/2026

There was a strong showing from Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) on Day 2 of with several poster presentations highlighting our research.

Prof Georgina Long AO presented a poster on the NeoIRENIE trial currently in progress. This study uses advanced biological profiling to help doctors to predict which patients are most likely to respond to standard PBS treatment, and which patients are in the 'third space' and will more likely benefit from new therapies offered through clinical trials. This is a true MIA multidisciplinary trial, which will be expanding across Australia and internationally.

Prof Long also presented a poster outlining updated brenetafusp (ImmTAC) data, a molecule that bridges T-cells (immune cells) directly to tumour cells - another example of work in the 'third space’.

Assoc Prof Alex van Akkooi presented a poster on MSLT-3, an MIA-led surgical trial opening globally. The trial is investigating if less invasive Selective Index Lymph Node Dissection is OK for stage III melanoma patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy.

Assoc Prof Ines da Silva’s presented two posters. The first was on work she is leading on a dynamic tool predicting recurrence on and off adjuvant immunotherapy in early-stage melanoma. The second is on PD-1 vs Ipi+Nivo in uveal melanoma, which will be discussed more at a melanoma oral presentation tomorrow.

See ASCO conference posters > https://bit.ly/4dLz4ig

American Society of Clinical Oncology

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