Australia's best minds in melanoma research converge on Melbourne
8 October 2018
The 2018 Australasian Melanoma Conference, held in Melbourne over the weekend, focussed on the integration of research and clinical care.
Melanoma Institute Australia’s Medical Directors, Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer, led the large contingent from MIA. In the targeted therapies session, Professor Long asked “where to next?”, while Professor Scolyer spoke on the challenges associated with borderline lesions and, in the Saturday lunchtime plenary session, discussed predicting patient outcomes.
Among the team of MIA clinicians was Professor Graham Mann who presented insights from the Australian Melanoma Genome Project and the Australian Melanoma Clinical Outcomes Registry. Associate Professor Pascale Guitera spoke on dermoscopy and provided an educational course on confocal microscopy, and Associate Professor Jon Stretch, Professor Angela Hong, Professor Peter Hersey and research affiliates Professor Nick Hayward and Professor Helen Rizos all chaired sessions.
A joint presentation from Professor Andrew Spillane and Associate Professor Alex Menzies in the management of loco-regional disease session provided both surgical and medical approaches to regional disease. Professor Diona Damian debated topical and injectable therapies for cutaneous melanoma, and Associate Professor Robyn Saw discussed follow-up and investigation for high-risk melanoma patients in the supportive care and survivorship session. A clinician’s perspective of The National Melanoma Guidelines from Professor John Thompson rounded out the weekend.
A highlight of the conference was the Consumer Breakfast, where a panel of people affected by melanoma, including MIA’s Jay Allen, discussed solariums, early detection, and the importance of support and routines after diagnosis. They shared stories, hope, and the importance of fundraising. “We need to keep raising funds, by organising events in local areas or supporting larger fundraising campaigns, because without funding, we don’t have research,” Mr Allen said.
Photograph: Australasian Melanoma Conference
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