Next meeting
Unfortunately, we have had to postpone the meeting which was scheduled in conjunction with the Melanoma Mini-Summit for Friday 10 May 2024.
The next meeting will be held in conjunction with the NZ Society of Oncology Conference in Auckland in October.
The agenda will include:
- Circulating tumour ctDNA research in melanoma and how this fits into precision oncology for melanoma patients in New Zealand in the future
- New Zealand's clinical trial portfolio
If you are interested in presenting your melanoma research, please let us know.
More details will be available soon. Please email the MelNet Chief Executive if you would like to be notified about future meetings.
What is the group?
The Melanoma Research and Therapy Special Interest Group is a national and inclusive multidisciplinary group of melanoma health professionals and researchers seeking:
- To achieve consensus on current issues and to seek to implement solutions to these issues, and
- To improve upon current standards of care by promoting and facilitating research in melanoma.
The need for such a group was identified at the Melanoma Research and Therapy meeting held on 9 September 2017 as part of the Queenstown Melanoma Week.
Organised by MelNet, the inaugural meeting of the special interest group was held in Auckland on 8 December 2017. You can find key recommendations of the 8 December 2017 meeting here.
21 September 2023 meeting
Held in Napier in conjunction with the NZ Society of Oncology Conference, topics discussed were:
- Adjuvant and neo-adjuvant therapy and contemporary melanoma surgery
- Real-world outcomes of immunotherapy for melanoma brain metastases in New Zealand
Highlights and outcomes from the meeting are available here.
4 November 2022 meeting
Held virtually via Zoom, topics discussed were:
- Improving access to clinical trials in New Zealand
- Research into DNA and RNA signatures associated with melanoma resistance to Keytruda
Highlights and outcomes from the meeting are available here.
27 November 2020 meeting
Held virtually via Zoom, topics discussed were:
- Advocating for funded adjuvant treatment in New Zealand
- Melanoma research: An update from MASC Trials
Highlights and outcomes from the meeting are available here.
26 June 2020 meeting
Held virtually via Zoom, topics discussed were:
- National melanoma immunotherapy database
- Feedback on PHARMAC Special Authority criteria: Temporary removal of specified dose regimen for nivolumab and pembrolizumab during COVID crisis
- Collaborative use of new genomic technologies to monitor melanoma
Highlights and outcomes from the meeting can be found here.
8 November 2019 meeting
Held at Health Promotion Agency Auckland office, topics discussed were:
- Pharmac changes to funding criteria for pembrolizumab and nivolumab for advanced melanoma
- National immunotherapy database
Highlights and recommendations from the meeting can be found here.
14 June 2019 meeting
Held at Ko Awatea, Middlemore Hospital Auckland, topics discussed were:
- Clinical trials in New Zealand: how can we improve the number of trials in New Zealand and the access to those trials
- Immune checkpoint inhibitor data: how does New Zealand coordinate auditing and standardisation of outcomes across DHBs and how can we draw DHBs together to reach similar outcomes?
Highlights and recommendations from the meeting can be found here.
15 March 2018 meeting
The second meeting of the special interest group was held at the Auckland International Airport Novotel on 15 March 2018. Topics were:
- Sentinel node data: The results of recent international trials and how their findings might be applied in New Zealand
- Tissue banking: What currently is being collected for melanoma and how collaboration and networking throughout New Zealand might be improved.
Highlights and recommendations from the meeting can be found here.