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Annual Report 2024

Department of Dermatologic Oncology

Akira Takahashi, Shunichi Jinnai, Yuko Kosaka, Takuya Morioka

Introduction

 The Department of Dermatologic Oncology began full time practice in April 2022 with two dermatologists. The department provides surgical treatment and chemotherapy for cutaneous malignancies, as well as supportive care for skin disorders associated with the treatment of carcinomas in other departments.

The Team and What We Do

 The department has two dermatologic oncologists and two residents. In FY2024, there were a total of 190 new cases of major skin cancers, including 45 cases of malignant melanoma, 38 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, 42 cases of basal cell carcinoma, etc. The number of surgeries and the number of patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors and other drugs in FY2022-2024 are shown in Tables 1 and 2, respectively. In addition, the number of first-time supportive care patients with skin disorders associated with cancer treatment was 688. Moreover, we have treated patients with advanced cases of mucosal melanoma in the nasal cavity, genital lesion, perianal lesions and uveal melanoma, although our origins are dermatologic.

Table 1. Operative procedures (total number)
Table 1. Operative procedures (total number)

Table 1. Operative procedures (total number)
Table 1. Operative procedures (total number)

Table 2. Number of patients treated with anticancer drugs
Table 2. Number of patients treated with anticancer drugs

Table 2. Number of patients treated with anticancer drugs
Table 2. Number of patients treated with anticancer drugs

Research Activities

 The main clinical studies we are conducting for cutaneous malignancies are listed below.

  • SCRUM-Japan MONSTAR-SCREEN-3: Multi-institutional collaborative study aiming to elucidate the spatiotemporal molecular profiles for patients with malignant tumor
  • COSMOS-MEL-02: Integrated genomic and epigenomic analysis of circulating tumor DNA from patients with BRAF V600-mutant melanoma

 The Department of Dermatologic Oncology is a member of the Japan Clinical Oncology Group (JCOG) Dermatologic Oncology Group and participates in multicenter collaborative studies.

  • Confirmatory trial of non-amputative digit preservation surgery for subungual melanoma. (JOCG1602)
  • Confirmatory trial of narrower side margins for basal cell carcinoma in Japanese population. (JCOG2005)

Clinical Trials

  • ONO-4538HSC-01: An open-label, uncontrolled, phase I study of ONO-4538HSC in subjects with advanced or metastatic solid tumors

    • Education

     In FY2024, we accepted two residents and provided meticulous guidance on outpatient care, surgical techniques, and pharmacotherapy. As a result, they acquired comprehensive management skills for cutaneous malignancies.

    Future Prospects

     Immune checkpoint inhibitors have been suggested to show differing treatment effects between Western and Asian populations, necessitating the establishment of evidence specific to Japanese patients for treatment strategies. Furthermore, rare skin cancers such as angiosarcoma and extramammary Paget's disease lack robust treatment evidence. We aim to demonstrate evidence from Japan through multicenter collaborative research to advance treatment development. Nivolumab was approved for epithelial skin malignancies in February 2023, but evidence in actual clinical practice remains limited and requires further clarification.

     Furthermore, corporate and physician-initiated clinical trials for novel therapeutic agents in melanoma, angiosarcoma, and epithelial skin malignancies are scheduled to commence.

     Regarding education, there are few physicians specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous malignancies within the dermatology field, and there are also few educational facilities. Therefore, our hospital, as a cancer specialty training facility, will actively accept residents and cultivate Dermatologic Oncologists who can play a central role in Japan's cutaneous malignancy care and also be active internationally.

    List of papers published in 2024

    Journal

    1. Hamamoto R, Komatsu M, Yamada M, Kobayashi K, Takahashi M, Miyake M, Jinnai S, Koyama T, Kouno N, Machino H, Takahashi S, Asada K, Ueda N, Kaneko S. Current status and future direction of cancer research using artificial intelligence for clinical application. Cancer science, 116:297-307, 2025

    2. Nakano E, Takahashi A, Ogata D, Namikawa K, Yamazaki N. Real-world efficacy and safety of BRAF-targeted therapy for patients with advanced melanoma: A single-center retrospective study in Japan. The Journal of dermatology, 51:1199-1207, 2024

    3. Muto Y, Fujimura T, Takahashi A, Namikawa K, Ogata D, Nakano E, Jinnai S, Hashimoto A, Kambayashi Y, Asano Y, Yamazaki N. Analysis of surgical margins and prognostic factors in dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans after wide local excision: A multicenter study of 116 Japanese patients. The Journal of dermatology, 51:1225-1232, 2024