Ask the Expert: The Current State and Evolution of Immunotherapy Treatment in Melanoma

Dr. Allison Betof Warner is Director of the Melanoma Program, Director of Solid Tumor Cellular Therapy, and Mark & Mary Stevens Endowed Scholar in Melanoma at Stanford Cancer Institute. Dr. Betof completed her MD and PhD at Duke University, Internal Medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard University) and Medical Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Betof’s laboratory focuses on understanding resistance to immune checkpoint blockade and cellular therapies for melanoma and other solid tumors. She is the Principal Investigator of clinical trials exploring novel treatments for immunotherapy-refractory melanoma and is internationally recognized for her expertise in brain/CNS metastasis and the use of novel cellular therapies. Dr. Betof has been a pioneer in the use of commercial tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy for the treatment of melanoma and other solid tumors. She has received funding and awards for her clinical and translational investigative work from multiple high-profile organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Melanoma Research Foundation.

Jamie lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife Angie. They have one son, Eric, a wonderful daughter in law Amy, and a beautiful 14 year old granddaughter.

Jamie had surgery to remove melanoma from his back in 2012 and was diagnosed with Stage 4B Metastatic Melanoma in 2014. He was accepted to the Stage 2 TIL Trial at Moffitt cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. Jamie’s tumors continue to recede and grow smaller and some have completely disappeared with nothing left but scar tissue. He has not had a bad check up since he started the TIL Trial in 2014. Jamie credits TIL, the incredible staff at Moffitt and his wonderful family for saving his life.