Optimising malignant melanoma management in Europe
EUMelaReg collects health information to improve care and treatment for patients with skin cancer
Sustaining and fostering collaboration between academia and industry
for the collection of baseline, treatment and outcome data of representative samples of malignant melanoma patients of major European countries.
Building the largest and quickest melanoma registry in the world
EUMelaReg collects real-world data on melanoma patients throughout Europe and integrates them in a data warehouse.

Successfull poster presentation at SMR in Amsterdam

The dedicated efforts of our study centres enabled us to present our project on ‘Decision Making on Adjuvant Anti-PD-1 in Stage IIB/IIC Melanoma in Europe - Interim Analysis of DECIDE-II’ at the SMR Congress 2025 in Amsterdam.

250 patients with stage IIB (60.4%) and IIC (39.6%) were included in this interim analysis. The overall treatment rate was 57.8%: of the 230 patients (92%) offered adjuvant anti-PD1 therapy, over half accepted, with higher proportion in stage IIB (54.3%) compared to stage IIC (51.5%). Treated patients were younger (median age: 64 years vs. 78 years), had a higher percentage of ECOG PS of 0 (86.5% vs. 68.0%) and exhibited fewer comorbidities (CCI: 2.3 vs. 3.7). Patients in stage IIB were slightly younger (median age: 72 years vs. 73 years), had higher proportion of ECOG PS 0 (79.5% vs 70.7%) compared to those with stage IIC.

Median EQ-5D VAS scores were significantly decreasing over the three cohorts (A > B > C) and were higher (more favorable) in stage IIB patients (78.0 vs 70.0) compared to those with stage IIC. The SDM-Q-9 scores were similar between cohort A and B (86.8 vs 81.8), indicating no meaningful difference in perceived shared decision-making.

The most important reasons for refusing therapy by cohort B were concerns about ‘possible side effects’ and the ‘age’ of the patients. Patients in cohort C (n=20, 8.0%) had a median age of 84 years, an ECOG PS >1 in 55.0% of cases, and a median EQ-5D VAS score of 65.5. Advanced age, concerns about side effects and comorbidities of the patients were key factors cited by physicians for not recommending adjuvant anti-PD1 treatment to cohort C.

In summary, the DECIDE-II interim analysis provides preliminary results, showing that adjuvant anti-PD1 treatment acceptance in stage IIB/C tends to be lower due to patient’s higher age and comorbidity rate than in the registrational trials. Likewise, the baseline real-world Quality of Life was different from the patients enrolled in clinical trials due to many reasons including higher age at baseline which may also play a role in treatment decision

We are very pleased about this important success - and especially about the fact that we have achieved it together with our study centres.

The study was supported by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA.