AMC2024 | Australasian Melanoma Conference

CONFERENCE PROGRAM

The AMC2024 conference program features a broad range of speakers across three concurrent sessions covering the entire spectrum of the disease under the key categories of:

Early melanoma
Advanced melanoma
Prevention, risk and clinical detection of melanoma
Supportive care and survivorship.

The program features plenary sessions delivered by speakers at the top of their field, alongside workshops, panel discussions, sponsored sessions, oral scientific and clinical abstract presentations, and ample networking opportunities. Additionally, it includes a debate topic that is sure to provoke thoughtful discussion and lively engagement.
Find out more about our accredited sessions here.

8.00am - 9.30am

Mezzanine, Maritime 1 - 3

Registration and Welcome Breakfast

(Exhibition and posters)

9.30am - 10.15am

Grand Ballroom

OFFICIAL OPENING
Speakers:

Welcome to Country, Uncle Brendan Kerin
Opening address, The Hon Mark Butler MP
Highlights of melanoma over the years, Prof Georgina Long AO and Prof Richard Scolyer AO

11.00am - 11.30am

Maritime 1 - 3

Morning Tea

(Exhibition and posters)

10.15am - 10.50am

Grand Ballroom

10.50am - 11.00am

Grand Ballroom

PLENARY 1: Beating melanoma: A shared purpose for transformative outcomes
Speaker:

Prof Helen Rizos

Conquering Skin Cancer Movie Preview

Speakers:

Mike Hill and Sue Collins

Concurrent Sessions 11.30am - 1.00pm

BALLROOM 2

Overview of peri-operative systemic therapies
Chairs: A/Prof Alexander Menzies and A/Prof Rachel Roberts- Thomson
Speakers:

Neo-adjuvant therapy data and best practice, A/Prof Alexander Menzies
Important histopathology considerations, Dr Robert Rawson
Surgical considerations,
Prof David Gyorki
Adjuvant therapies including personalised vaccines, Prof Victoria Atkinson
Clinical stage II melanoma, A/Prof Rachel Roberts-Thomson
Clinical stage III melanoma, A/Prof Ines Silva
Panel discussion: A/Prof Alexander Menzies, Dr Robert Rawson, Prof David Gyorki, Prof Victoria Atkinson and Kate Willis

BALLROOM 1
Misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis: Addressing difficult melanocytic pathology through clinical collaboration
Chairs: Dr Andrew Colebatch and Dr Louise Jackett
Speakers:

Diagnostic dilemmas,
Dr Aleodor Andea
Case study and panel discussion: Dr Andrew Colebatch, Dr Louise Jackett, Dr Blake O’Brien, Dr David Speakman, Prof Pascale Guitera and Dr Adrian Quek

MARITIME 4
Melanoma in populations: Burden, risk and genes
Chairs: Prof Anne Cust and
Prof David Whiteman
Speakers:

Burden of disease / health economics, Dr Daniel Lindsay
Incidence and risk factors for second primary melanoma, Yuan Ni
Evaluating melanoma risk tools – quantitative and qualitative data for first vs subsequent primary, Dr Amelia Smit
Impact of covid comparing Swedish and Victorian data, Prof Rory Wolfe
Genetics of melanoma,
A/Prof Matthew Law
Genetic testing for melanoma – evolution and latest guidance, Dr Courtney Wallingford
Sex differences in melanoma, Dr Nina Afshar

1.00pm - 2.00pm

Maritime 1 - 3

Lunch

(Exhibition and posters)

Concurrent Sessions 2.00pm - 3.30pm

BALLROOM 2

Digital imaging and decision making for melanoma
Chairs: Prof Victoria Mar and A/Prof Tony Caccetta
Speakers:

Part 1: Overview and evidence, Dr Helena Collgros
Interactive cases, Dr Bruna Gouveia and Dr Alex Chamberlain
Part 2: Overview and evidence, Dr Helena Collgros
Interactive cases, Dr Bruna Gouveia
Prognosis, A/Prof Serigne Lo
Digital Biomarkers, Prof Victoria Mar

BALLROOM 1

Is there still a role for surgery in early stage melanoma?
Chairs: A/Prof Alexander van Akkooi and Prof David Gyorki
Speakers:

Current evidence on Gene Expression Profiling (GEP) for prognosis and SLNB risk prediction, Prof Susan Swetter
Update on the utility of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), Dr Jenny Lee
Is there still a role for SLNB in the modern era of melanoma management for clinical stage IIB/C melanoma?, Prof Andrew Barbour
Panel discussion: Prof Susan Swetter, Dr Jenny Lee, Prof Andrew Barbour, Karen van Gorp
Why bother with locoregional therapies in the modern age of melanoma treatment?, A/Prof Alexander van Akkooi
Panel discussion 2: A/Prof Alexander van Akkooi, Dr Hayden Snow, Prof Victoria Atkinson and Karen van Gorp

MARITIME 4

Navigating the future of melanoma nursing: Advances in complex care, emerging treatments and toxicity management
Chairs: Maria Gonzalez and Alethea Lobo
Speakers:

Addressing complex care needs- the role of specialist oncology nurses, Prof Mei Krishnasamay
Treatment sequencing and factors influencing decision making, Kate Willis
Neoadjuvant vs. adjuvant -
the evidence broken down, Maria Gonzalez
Neoadjuvant nursing care - important considerations,
Dr Donna Milne
Complex drug toxicities - what nurses need to know, Krista Rubin
Case study 1 - Melanie Grimmer
Case study 2 - Hayley Burridge

3.30pm - 4.00pm

Maritime 1 - 3

Afternoon Tea

(Exhibition and posters)

Concurrent Sessions 4.00pm - 5.00pm

BALLROOM 2

Multidisciplinary approaches in melanoma: The role of radiation therapy
Chairs: Prof Angela Hong and Prof Mark Pinkham
Speakers:

RADICAL trial: A randomised controlled multicentre trial of imiquimod versus radiotherapy for lentigo maligna, Prof Angela Hong
The use of confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography to guide local treatment, Dr Christoph Sinz
SRS: Integration with immunotherapy and risk of radionecrosis, Dr Michael Huo
The rationale and role of stereotactic body radiotherapy in melanoma, A/Prof Eric Hau

BALLROOM 1
Wellness Session: Mastering confidence: A toolkit for tackling impostor syndrome
Chair: Matthew Browne
Speaker:

Katharine Collins
Brought to you by Eau Thermale Avene

MARITIME 4

New treatment approaches
Chairs: Prof Helen Rizos and Prof Elin Gray
Speakers:

Tumor infiltrating lymphocyte therapy in therapy resistant melanoma, Prof Jonas Nilsson
Epigenetic Modifiers: A Novel Target for Melanoma Treatment, A/Prof Jason Lee
Improving T cell responses against melanoma, A/Prof Jason Waithman

5.25pm - 5.55pm

Grand Ballroom

DEBATE: Patient advocacy and consumer representation are just a tick box exercise
Chairs: Alison Button-Sloan, Rod Flude and Matthew Browne

Speakers:

Affirmative: Craig Lawn and Tamara Dawson
Negative: Prof Grant McArthur and Prof Rachael Morton

5.55pm - 6.00pm

Grand Ballroom

Closing remarks

Speakers:

Prof Georgina Long AO and Prof Richard Scolyer AO

5.00pm - 5.25pm

Maritime 1 - 3

Refreshment Break

6.45pm - 9.45pm

Cafe del Mar

Harbourview Soirée

Speaker:

Benjamin Law (from 7:30pm)

Disclaimer:

All best endeavours will be made to present the program as shown on this website. The Organising Committee reserve the right to alter without prior notice, any of the arrangements, timetables, plans or other items relating to the meeting, for any cause beyond its reasonable control.

The Organising Committee is not liable for any loss or inconvenience caused as a result of such alteration. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, the Organising Committee do not accept responsibility for loss of monies caused by delays.

7.00am - 8.00am

Mezzanine, Maritime 1 - 3

Registration

Concurrent Sessions 8.00am - 9.30am

BALLROOM 2
DERMOSCOPY WORKSHOP*
Chairs: Dr William Shepperd and Dr Tracey Purnell
Speakers:

Dermoscopy decoded: Mastering challenging lesions in Primary Care, A/Prof Paul Fishburn and Dr Peter Ferguson

BALLROOM 1
Models of response and resistance to systemic therapy
Chairs: Prof Helen Rizos and
Prof Jonas Nilsson
Speakers:

Extracellular vesicle-derived RNA profiling predicts melanoma response to immunotherapy, Prof Elin Gray
Spatial transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of immunotherapy resistant niche, A/Prof James Wilmott
Looking beyond genetic diversity: Investigating the role of mRNA transcript diversity in models of therapy response and resistance using Nanopore sequencing, Dr Lorey Smith

MARITIME 4
Abstract session 1
Chairs: Jake Thompson & Dr Amelia Smit

Concurrent Sessions 9.30am - 10.30am

BALLROOM 2
AI and melanoma detection*

Chairs: Dr Mary-Ann El Sharouni and Prof H. Peter Soyer
Speakers:

The real world considerations of implementing AI for melanoma detection into consumer and clinician work flows, Prof Susan Swetter
Understanding data and algorithms for melanoma classification, A/Prof Tony Caccetta
The rise of foundation models, Prof Victoria Mar
TGA classification of SaMD in dermatology, Dr Susan Shedda

BALLROOM 1
Primary resistance to immunotherapy in melanoma: What’s next?
Chairs: A/Prof Ines Silva and
Prof Grant McArthur
Speakers:

Overview of current drug therapies available in advanced melanoma and survivals, A/Prof Ines Silva
What are we doing for patients who recur on or after neoadjuvant therapy?, A/Prof Rachel Roberts- Thomson
Novel therapies for patients with metastatic melanoma, Prof Olivier Michielin
Panel discussion

MARITIME 4
Abstract session 2
Chairs: Dr Tuba Nur Gide and A/Prof Mainthan Palendira

10.30am - 11.00am

Maritime 1 - 3

Morning Tea

(Exhibition and posters)

11.00am - 11.45am

Grand Ballroom

Multidisciplinary case study panel discussion*

Chairs: A/Prof Sydney Ch’ng and Prof Victoria Atkinson

Speakers:

Case 1: Dr Louise Jackett, Dr Charles Ayesa, Dr Lisa Gomes, A/Prof Serigne Lo, Dr Christoph Sinz
Case 2: Dr David Palmieri, Dr Robert Rawson, A/Prof Julie Howle

11.45am - 12.30pm

Grand Ballroom

PLENARY 2: AI to guide therapy in Stage IV melanoma?*

Speaker:
• Prof Olivier Michielin

12.30pm - 1.30pm

Maritime 1 - 3

Lunch

(Exhibition and posters)

12.45pm - 1.30pm

Maritime 4

Partner Lunch Symposium: Advances in early-stage melanoma: Integrating multidisciplinary approaches for optimal patient care

Brought to you by MSD

Speakers:

• A/Prof Alexander Menzies

• Prof David Gyorki

• Dr Louise Jackett

Concurrent Sessions 1.30pm - 3.00pm

BALLROOM 2
Skin checks in primary care: Best practice and future directions*
Chairs: Dr William Shepperd and Dr Tracey Purnell
Speakers:

Deciphering the challenges of skin checks in primary care, A/Prof Jeremy Hudson
The utility of risk prediction tools in clinical practice,
Prof Anne Cust
Integrating new technologies for melanoma surveillance in primary care, Dr Vin Rajeswaran
Addressing the supportive care needs of melanoma patients in Primary Care, Claire Gore
Panel discussion: Prof Victoria Mar, A/Prof Jeremy Hudson, Dr Vin Rajeswaran, Prof Anne Cust

BALLROOM 1
Fundamentals of supportive care
Chairs: A/Prof Robyn Saw and
Dr Maria Ftanou
Speakers:

Patient perspective, Karen van Gorp
Provision of integrated, melanoma-specific clinical psychology services to patients attending outpatient specialist clinics at the Melanoma Institute Australia, Dr Lisa Gomes
HRQOL for drug therapy pts – Summary of QOL issues,
Dr Julia Lai Kwon
FCR Stage I and II stepped care study, Jake Thompson
Fearless study, Dr Fiona Lynch
iMOVE - a personalised exercise intervention for advanced melanoma patients, Dr Donna Milne
Feasibility, acceptability, and utility of a nurse-led survivorship program for people with metastatic melanoma (MELCARE), Rebecca Biviano

MARITIME 4
Abstract session 3
Chairs: Dr Ismael Vergara and Dr Jessamy Tiffen

3.00pm - 3.30pm

Maritime 1 - 3

Afternoon Tea

(Exhibition and posters)

3.30pm - 4.15pm

Grand Ballroom

PLENARY 3: Melanoma prevention and early detection: Can AI reduce health disparities?*

Speaker:

• Prof Susan Swetter

4.15pm - 4.30pm

Grand Ballroom

Wrap Up*

Speakers:

• Prof Georgina Long AO and Prof Richard Scolyer AO

4.30pm

Conference Close

* denotes Primary Care Stream for accreditation purposes.

Disclaimer:

The conference is hosted by Melanoma Institute Australia – a non-proﬁt organisation dedicated to preventing and curing melanoma through innovative, world-class research, treatment and education programs.

Our mission is zero deaths from melanoma this decade.

Melanoma Institute Australia

The Poche Centre, 40 Rocklands Rd, Wollstonecraft NSW 2065 Australia

Email: amc2024@melanoma.org.au Phone: +61 2 9911 7200