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Adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy may benefit pediatric patients with stage III melanoma and sentinel lymph node positivity: a Case Series
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  • Acacia Bowden,
  • Jeanette Zambito,
  • Jinia El-Feghaly,
  • Jeffrey Andolina
Acacia Bowden
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

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Jeanette Zambito
University of Rochester Medical Center
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Jinia El-Feghaly
University of Rochester Medical Center
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Jeffrey Andolina
Golisano Children's Hospital
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Abstract

Background: Melanoma is the most common skin cancer in children. While the current literature establishes treatment protocols for adult-type melanoma, very few pediatric-specific studies exist, and children are often excluded from melanoma clinical trials 2. Case Report: We report a case series of 23 consecutive pediatric patients diagnosed with melanoma at the University of Rochester Medical Center between 1/1/2011 and 1/1/2022. 2/23 (8.7%) patients had recurrence of their malignancy after therapy while 21/23 (91.3%) remained without disease progression; 1 patient died from unknown cause, but the rest are alive and currently without disease. All patients whose initial therapy included nivolumab in addition to wide local excision did not have recurrence or progression of their disease. Conclusions: This case series highlights trends in the presentation, treatment, and outcomes of pediatric melanoma; however, additional multi-center studies are needed to establish the clinical utility of such features in pediatric melanoma.