Focus on Melanoma Meeting 2026

Friday 9th October 2026

Organised by: Dr Pippa Corrie, Consultant Medical Oncologist, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 

Location: The Royal College of Physicians, London

Registration for this event is now open

Friday, 9th October 20269:00 am – 5:00 pm
The British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) has awarded up to 6 CME credits for the Focus on Melanoma Meeting. The Royal College of Surgeons of England has awarded up to 5.5 CPD points.  Melanoma Focus have additionally applied to the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians for CME accreditation.

 

The Early Bird rates ends on 13th September 2026.

 

Abstracts:
If you would like to submit an abstract for the meeting, please email a PDF of your abstract, no more than 250 words, excluding title and authors, to emmab@melanomafocus.org by 13th September 2026.
We will let you know if your abstract has been accepted withing two weeks of submission and all accepted presenters will be required to bring a printed copy of their poster to the meeting.

 

Sponsors:
We would like to thank our sponsors for their generous support of the meeting. Our sponsors have had NO involvement in the development of the programme.

Early Bird Tickets

Registration for Early Bird Tickets

Nurse/AHP/Retired (Member)BOOK HERE£76£110 (late rate)
Nurse/AHP/Retired (Non-Member)BOOK HERE£91£125 (late rate)
Clinician (Member)BOOK HERE£139£189 (late rate)
Clinician (Non Member)BOOK HERE£169£219 (late rate)
Consultant (Member)BOOK HERE£184£254 (late rate)
Consultant (Non Member)BOOK HERE£234£299 (late rate)
IndustryBOOK HERE£479

Programme - From Bench to Bedside

09:00 - 09:55

BMS Sponsored Symposium:
The Dual I-O Duel: Default or Deliberate?
Chair:  Dr Heather Shaw, Consultant Medical Oncologist, Mount Vernon Cancer Centre and University College London Hospital

Speakers:
– Professor Hussein Tawbi, Professor of Departments of Medical Oncology & Investigational Cancer Therapeutics and Director of Melanoma Clinical Research and Early Drug Development, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre
– Professor James Larkin, Consultant Medical Oncologist, Royal Marsden Hospital, London

10:00 - 10:05

Welcome/Introduction
Dr Mark Harries, Consultant Medical Oncologist, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Chairman of Melanoma Focus

10:05 - 10:15

Melanoma Focus: Achievements and Plans
Dr Mark Harries and Susanna Daniels

10:15 - 11:15

Session 1: the Microbiome: More than a Gut Feeling
Chair: Dr Pippa Corrie, Consultant Medical Oncologist, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 

10:15 - 10:40

How Our Microbiome Influences Immunotherapy Response and Toxicity and Is Now A Therapeutic Target In Its Own Right
Dr Trevor Lawley, Group Leader, Wellcome Sanger Institute 

10:40 - 11:05

Prebiotics, Probiotics and Antibiotics – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly 
Professor David Pinato, Clinical Professor of Experimental Cancer Therapeutics, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 

11:05 - 11:15

Q&A

11:15 - 11:40

Break

11:40 - 12:30

Session 2: Clinical Trials Update
Chair: Professor Sarah Danson, Professor of Medical Oncology, University of Sheffield & Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

11:40 - 12:00

Ocular Melanoma – Where Are We, What’s Coming Down the Line?
Dr Joe Sacco, Consultant Medical Oncologist, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust

12:00 - 12:20

Surgical Research Update – Margins, Sentinel Nodes and Optimal Timing
Professor Marc Moncrieff, Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

12:20 - 12:30

Q&A

12:30 - 13:30

Session 3: Debate: We’re Prescribing Far Too Much Adjuvant Systemic Therapy!
Chair: Dr Kate Young, Consultant Medical Oncologist, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

FOR: Dr Becki Lee, Honorary Consultant Medical Oncologist & Senior Lecturer in Medical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust & The University of Manchester

AGAINST: Dr Brent O’Carrigan, Consultant Medical Oncologist, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

13:30 - 14:30

Lunch

14:30 - 15:10

The Professor Martin Gore CBE Memorial Lecture
Introduction – Dr Mark Harries, Consultant Medical Oncologist, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Chairman of Melanoma Focus

Professor Hussein Tawbi, Professor of Departments of Medical Oncology & Investigational Cancer Therapeutics and Director of Melanoma Clinical Research and Early Drug Development, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre
Neo-Adjuvant Therapy in Melanoma as a Translational Science and Drug Development Platform

15:10 - 16:10

Session 4: Pathology Informing Practice
Chair: Dr Pavlina Spiliopoulou, Clinical Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in
Medical Oncology, The University of Glasgow and The Beatson, West of Scotland Cancer Centre

15:10 - 15:30

Digital Pathology – Current Status and Implications for Neoadjuvant Therapy for Resectable Melanoma 
Dr Emily Clarke, Clinical Lecturer & Histopathology Registrar, University of Leeds

15:30 - 15:50

Mucosal Melanoma – Lessons from Canine Cancer
Professor Kelly Blacklock, Professor of Small Animal Tissue Surgery, University of Edinburgh

15:50 - 16:00

Q&A

16:00 - 17:00

Session 5: MDT: Mucosal Melanoma MDT and Cases
Chair: Professor Rowan Pritchard Jones, Consultant Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon and Associate Dean of Professional Practice, University of Liverpool
– Mr Myles Smith, Consultant Surgical Oncologist, The Royal Marsden, NHS Foundation

Trust
– Dr Pavlina Spiliopoulou, Clinical Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Medical

Oncology, The University of Glasgow and The Beatson, West of Scotland Cancer
Centre
– Dr Mark Stares, Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Medical Oncology, University of
Edinburgh

17:00

Closing Remarks

17:00 - 19:00

Drinks Reception and Networking