0000000000372456
AUTHOR
Frank Meiss
Psycho‐oncological care of melanoma patients in certified skin cancer centers
Background The establishment und certification of skin cancer centers (SCCs) in compliance with requirements issued by the German Cancer Society play a key role for quality-assured treatment of skin cancer patients. These requirements also call for the implementation of a qualified psycho-oncology program. When planning the present study, we assumed site-specific differences in the way such programs were implemented at various SCCs. Methods In 2014, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of all SCCs certified at the time (n = 43), in which these institutions were asked to provide information on the structural and process quality of their psycho-oncology programs. Results Overall, 81.4 % of c…
Use of complementary and alternative medicine: A multicenter cross-sectional study in 1089 melanoma patients.
Abstract Background About half of patients with cancer use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). So far, data on melanoma patients are missing. Objective The aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence and predictors for the use of CAM in this patient group. Methods All patients with melanoma being attended at one of 7 skin cancer centres in Germany between March 2012 and March 2013 were invited to take part in a survey using a structured questionnaire on CAM. The physicians filled in a second part on the diagnosis, state and former and current therapy. Results Nearly half of the 1089 participants (41.0%) used CAM and half of those using CAM (56.8%) marked that this made them fe…
Targeted Therapy in Advanced Melanoma With Rare BRAF Mutations
PURPOSE BRAF/MEK inhibition is a standard of care for patients with BRAF V600E/K–mutated metastatic melanoma. For patients with less frequent BRAF mutations, however, efficacy data are limited. METHODS In the current study, 103 patients with metastatic melanoma with rare, activating non-V600E/K BRAF mutations that were treated with either a BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi), MEK inhibitor (MEKi), or the combination were included. BRAF mutation, patient and disease characteristics, response, and survival data were analyzed. RESULTS Fifty-eight patient tumors (56%) harbored a non-E/K V600 mutation, 38 (37%) a non-V600 mutation, and seven had both V600E and a rare BRAF mutation (7%). The most frequent mu…