Melanoma Clinical Trials & Research

Memorial Sloan Kettering doctors are constantly working to improve treatment for people with melanoma through clinical trials. Participating in a clinical trial may give you access to promising melanoma treatments years before they’re available elsewhere. These studies may offer additional options if the cancer has returned after standard treatment.

Through research conducted at MSK, we’ve made enormous strides in improving the treatment options available to people worldwide. Our melanoma clinical trials have resulted in dramatic improvements in survival and quality of life for people with melanoma. Many of the effective melanoma treatments developed over the past decade were studied and tested by members of our melanoma clinical trials team. This includes the immunotherapy drugs ipilimumab (Yervoy®), nivolumab (Opdivo®), and pembrolizumab (Keytruda®), as well as the targeted therapy vemurafenib (Zelboraf®).

Our experts can help determine which clinical trial is right for you, including some of our newly opened clinical trials:

MSK is also exploring tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy for people with melanoma. TIL therapy is a type of immunotherapy that uses a patient’s immune cells to kill cancer. When we give TIL therapy, we remove the patient’s immune cells from their tumor after surgery and give the cells a treatment that makes them multiply. We then put the cells back into the body to find and attack cancer cells.

Our doctors can help you decide if one of our clinical trials of TIL therapy is right for you:

A complete listing of clinical trials that are currently enrolling new patients is available below.

and/or
Reset
20 Clinical Trials found
A Phase 2-3 Study of Nivolumab With RP2 or Ipilimumab Immunotherapy in People With Uveal Melanoma
If you take part in this study, you will be randomly assigned to get one of these treatments:
New York City, Commack, Basking Ridge, Westchester, Monmouth, Bergen, Nassau
A Phase 3 Study Comparing IMA203 With Standard Therapy in People with Advanced Melanoma
Researchers are comparing IMA203 cellular therapy with standard treatment in people with melanoma of the skin. Their melanoma is inoperable (cannot be surgically removed) or metastatic (has spread) and keeps growing despite treatment.
New York City, Commack, Basking Ridge, Westchester, Monmouth, Bergen, Nassau
A Phase I/IIA Study of LNS8801 with and without Pembrolizumab Immunotherapy in People with Advanced Melanoma
The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and effectiveness of the investigational drug LNS8801 with and without pembrolizumab immunotherapy in people with advanced melanoma. LNS8801 works to reduce levels of a growth protein called MYC. By reducing these levels, LNS8801 may slow the growth of cancer, shrink the cancer, and help the immune system remove cancer from the body. Pembrolizumab boosts the ability of the immune system to find and kill cancer cells.
New York City
A Phase II Study of Axitinib/Nivolumab Alone and with Ipilimumab or Radiation Therapy to Treat Previously Untreated Advanced Mucosal Melanoma
The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and effectiveness of treatment with axitinib and nivolumab immunotherapy for people with advanced mucosal melanoma that has not yet been treated. Axitinib blocks the development of blood vessels that cancer cells need to grow and spread ("angiogenesis"). Nivolumab boosts the ability of the immune system to detect and destroy cancer cells.
New York City, Westchester
A Phase II Study of Nivolumab Immunotherapy Alone and with Cabozantinib to Prevent Mucosal Melanoma Relapse after Surgery
The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and effectiveness of nivolumab immunotherapy alone and with the drug cabozantinib to reduce the chance that mucosal melanoma will come back after surgery. Nivolumab boosts the power of the immune system to detect and destroy cancer cells. Cabozantinib inhibits cancer cell growth by blocking certain enzymes.
New York City, Basking Ridge, Westchester
A Pilot Study of LN-144 Immunotherapy in People with Metastatic Uveal Melanoma
Researchers in this study are exploring the feasibility of making an immunotherapy in a laboratory using white blood cells (called lymphocytes or T cells) collected from the tumor of a patient with metastatic uveal melanoma. This is called autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy. The TIL therapy being assessed in this study is called LN-144, and it is designed to activate white blood cells to attack the tumor.
New York City, Westchester
A Registry for Patients with Neurocutaneous Melanocytosis
The purpose of this study is to establish a registry to learn about neurocutaneous melanocytosis (NCM) and how people respond to treatments for this rare disease. NCM is seen mainly in children born with large dark-colored areas of skin called cutaneous melanocytic nevi (LCMN). About one in four of children with LCMN also develop NCM.
New York City
A Study of Radiation Therapy to Treat Solid Tumors That Spread to Soft Tissue
Researchers in this study want to see how a new form of radiation therapy works to treat metastatic cancer. Metastatic means the cancer has spread to another part of the body from its original place. The people in this study have solid tumors that spread to soft tissues in the chest, abdomen (belly), or pelvis. In addition, they need radiation therapy to help control symptoms such as pain.
New York City, Commack, Basking Ridge, Westchester, Monmouth, Bergen, Nassau
A Study of RLY-8161 in People With Solid Tumor Cancer
To learn more about the purpose of this study and to find out who can join, please click here to visit ClinicalTrials.gov for a full clinical trial description.
New York City, Commack, Basking Ridge, Westchester, Monmouth, Bergen, Nassau
Patient Satisfaction with Facial Appearance and Scar Outcome after Skin Cancer Surgery
Surgery is the primary treatment for skin cancer. Patients' perception of the scar following surgery for facial skin cancer may significantly influence their satisfaction with their care. The purpose of this study is to assess patients' satisfaction with the appearance of their face and scar after skin cancer surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), as well as their quality of life after the surgery.
New York City