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Condition (MeSH)

Melanoma

ClinicalTrials.gov lists 3,367 trials for Melanoma or a narrower condition beneath it. National Cancer Institute (NCI) has the most among industry and government lead sponsors, with 215.

MeSH D008545 Neoplasms Neoplasm C04 C17 Listed by Orphanet as a rare disease
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Phase 1 Phase 1 867 Phase 1/2 Phase 1/2 448 Phase 2 Phase 2 931 Phase 2/3 Phase 2/3 21 Phase 3 Phase 3 177 Phase 4 Phase 4 31 Not applicable Not applicable 359 Observational Observational 512 Phase 1 Phase 1 867 Phase 1/2 Phase 1/2 448 Phase 2 Phase 2 931 Phase 2/3 Phase 2/3 21 Phase 3 Phase 3 177 Phase 4 Phase 4 31 Not applicable Not applicable 359 Observational Observational 512

Trials per phase (log scale)

1 more section with rows

3,192 of the 3,367 trials are tagged with Melanoma itself; the rest are tagged with a narrower condition beneath it.

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The PDF carries up to 50 rows of each section, where the page shows the first few, with the sources listed. Enter a work email and confirm it from the message we send, and the report follows by email.

When did Melanoma trials start? (37)

Shown in this order: most recent first, 1990 onwards. 2026 is partial: trials registered with a 2026 start date so far, not a full year. 6 trials are registered to start in 2027 or later, and not listed here.

Trials over time, by phase

  • Phase 1
  • Phase 1/2
  • Phase 2
  • Phase 2/3
  • Phase 3
  • Phase 4
  • Not applicable
  • Observational
  • Other (Expanded access)

Top of scale: 197

1990: 1 trials (Observational 1) 1991: 3 trials (Observational 2, Not applicable 1) 1992: 4 trials (Observational 1, Not applicable 2, Phase 3 1) 1993: 4 trials (Observational 1, Phase 3 1, Phase 2 1, Phase 1 1) 1994: 2 trials (Phase 1 2) 1995: 9 trials (Observational 1, Phase 3 2, Phase 2 3, Phase 1/2 1, Phase 1 2) 1996: 15 trials (Observational 3, Phase 3 3, Phase 2 4, Phase 1/2 1, Phase 1 4) 1997: 15 trials (Observational 2, Phase 3 1, Phase 2 4, Phase 1/2 4, Phase 1 4) 1998: 26 trials (Observational 2, Not applicable 1, Phase 3 1, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 15, Phase 1/2 1, Phase 1 5) 1999: 47 trials (Observational 6, Phase 3 6, Phase 2 21, Phase 1/2 4, Phase 1 10) 2000: 40 trials (Observational 4, Not applicable 4, Phase 3 5, Phase 2 11, Phase 1/2 5, Phase 1 11) 2001: 42 trials (Observational 3, Not applicable 1, Phase 4 1, Phase 3 1, Phase 2 16, Phase 1/2 6, Phase 1 14) 2002: 43 trials (Observational 3, Not applicable 2, Phase 3 7, Phase 2 14, Phase 1/2 10, Phase 1 7) 2003: 54 trials (Observational 6, Not applicable 3, Phase 4 2, Phase 3 3, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 24, Phase 1/2 8, Phase 1 7) 2004: 80 trials (Observational 7, Not applicable 6, Phase 3 3, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 35, Phase 1/2 9, Phase 1 19) 2005: 91 trials (Observational 7, Not applicable 6, Phase 3 4, Phase 2 40, Phase 1/2 13, Phase 1 21) 2006: 89 trials (Observational 10, Not applicable 1, Phase 3 4, Phase 2 34, Phase 1/2 14, Phase 1 26) 2007: 89 trials (Observational 10, Not applicable 5, Phase 4 2, Phase 3 5, Phase 2 35, Phase 1/2 10, Phase 1 22) 2008: 97 trials (Observational 16, Not applicable 3, Phase 4 1, Phase 3 4, Phase 2 35, Phase 1/2 8, Phase 1 30) 2009: 100 trials (Other 1, Observational 14, Not applicable 10, Phase 3 5, Phase 2/3 2, Phase 2 31, Phase 1/2 12, Phase 1 25) 2010: 104 trials (Observational 9, Not applicable 3, Phase 4 1, Phase 3 7, Phase 2 39, Phase 1/2 17, Phase 1 28) 2011: 113 trials (Observational 13, Not applicable 11, Phase 3 5, Phase 2/3 2, Phase 2 40, Phase 1/2 8, Phase 1 34) 2012: 110 trials (Observational 11, Not applicable 14, Phase 4 1, Phase 3 7, Phase 2 33, Phase 1/2 11, Phase 1 33) 2013: 147 trials (Observational 28, Not applicable 11, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 8, Phase 2 41, Phase 1/2 10, Phase 1 46) 2014: 131 trials (Observational 19, Not applicable 13, Phase 4 2, Phase 3 6, Phase 2 41, Phase 1/2 20, Phase 1 30) 2015: 163 trials (Observational 23, Not applicable 20, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 10, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 38, Phase 1/2 24, Phase 1 44) 2016: 155 trials (Observational 26, Not applicable 15, Phase 4 1, Phase 3 8, Phase 2 32, Phase 1/2 21, Phase 1 52) 2017: 141 trials (Observational 24, Not applicable 18, Phase 4 1, Phase 3 7, Phase 2/3 2, Phase 2 29, Phase 1/2 23, Phase 1 37) 2018: 164 trials (Observational 23, Not applicable 21, Phase 4 2, Phase 3 6, Phase 2/3 2, Phase 2 34, Phase 1/2 31, Phase 1 45) 2019: 159 trials (Observational 34, Not applicable 19, Phase 4 2, Phase 3 4, Phase 2 37, Phase 1/2 21, Phase 1 42) 2020: 157 trials (Observational 25, Not applicable 19, Phase 4 1, Phase 3 3, Phase 2 37, Phase 1/2 25, Phase 1 47) 2021: 197 trials (Observational 35, Not applicable 32, Phase 3 5, Phase 2/3 2, Phase 2 48, Phase 1/2 26, Phase 1 49) 2022: 185 trials (Observational 35, Not applicable 23, Phase 4 2, Phase 3 12, Phase 2 38, Phase 1/2 23, Phase 1 52) 2023: 151 trials (Observational 28, Not applicable 25, Phase 3 13, Phase 2/3 3, Phase 2 29, Phase 1/2 23, Phase 1 30) 2024: 127 trials (Observational 30, Not applicable 21, Phase 3 7, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 21, Phase 1/2 17, Phase 1 30) 2025: 149 trials (Observational 34, Not applicable 22, Phase 4 2, Phase 3 4, Phase 2/3 3, Phase 2 31, Phase 1/2 21, Phase 1 32)

Trials registered with a start date in each year, 1990 onward, stacked by phase (complete years only; the current partial year is in the table's notes). The table below lists the same counts, most recent years first.

Trials started per year
Year Trials started
2026 (partial year) 114
2025 149
2024 127
2023 151
2022 185
2021 197
2020 157
2019 159
2018 164
2017 141

Forecast of the full-year count, planned starts included, not rows of this table: about 120 trials starting in 2026 and about 130 in 2027, the average of the 24 months through September, counted as registered and carried forward. The rows of this table count trials registered so far with a start date in the year, planned starts included; the forecast looks ahead to the count for the whole year, so it is not the same measure. In backtests on conditions of this size, forecasts made part-way through the year were typically off by about 13 percent and ran about 12 percent low against the count later registered; forecasts made before the year began were off by about 19 percent and ran about 17 percent low against the count later registered, and had about the same error as repeating last year's count. These figures rest on a few years of history (target years from 2018 to 2025, varying by figure), place each condition as it is mapped today rather than as it was then, and score against a count for the newest year that was still being revised. Only condition series were scored.

Prediction, not a registry value: median of 36 months from start to primary completion across 356 trials still running at the 2026-10-09 snapshot; registered median of 37 months across 2,161 trials with a primary completion typed Actual. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov / AACT (CTTI), public domain.

What phase are Melanoma trials in? (9)

Shown in this order: phase order.

Show the trials by phase as a table
Trials by phase
Phase Trials
Phase 1 867
Phase 1/2 448
Phase 2 931
Phase 2/3 21
Phase 3 177
Phase 4 31
Not applicable 359
Observational 512
Expanded access 21

How many Melanoma trials are recruiting? (11)

Shown in this order: the order a trial moves through, from not yet recruiting to unknown.

Trials by recruitment status
Status Trials
Not yet recruiting 80
Recruiting 414
Enrolling by invitation 11
Active, not recruiting 267
Available 5

Status as registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. Each trial is counted once.

Which lead sponsors run the most Melanoma trials? (7)

Shown in this order: most trials first. Lead sponsors the registry classes as industry, NIH, US federal, other government or network. A hospital or university the registry files as government can appear here. Sponsors it classes as academic or other are shown on the full page, because that class cannot separate an institution from a named investigator.

Lead sponsors
Sponsor Trials
National Cancer Institute (NCI) 215
Bristol-Myers Squibb 90
Novartis Pharmaceuticals 47
Hoffmann-La Roche 45
Pfizer 38

Which drugs are being tested for Melanoma? (8)

Shown in this order: most trials first. One row per drug, matched to a single molecule under all its names, ranked by number of trials.

Drugs tested
Drug Trials
PEMBROLIZUMAB 259
NIVOLUMAB 232
IPILIMUMAB 224
Cytoxan 125
GSK1120212 77

Interventions as named in the registry (7)

Shown in this order: most trials first.

Interventions as named in the registry
Drug Trials
Low-dose Aldesleukin (Proleukin®) 107
SQ Fludarabine 90
SOC: Temozolomide 66
Vermurafenib 64
Arm 3: Dacarbazine 63

These are the names sponsors entered on ClinicalTrials.gov that we have not matched to a single molecule. Some are drugs under a brand or code name; others are procedures, doses or arm labels.

Which serious adverse events do Melanoma trials report? (10)

Shown in this order: most subjects affected first. Subjects affected summed across trials, a cross-trial signal, not a rate.

Serious adverse events in this condition's trials
Adverse event Subjects affected Trials
Malignant neoplasm progression 2,001 56
Pyrexia 1,490 169
Pneumonia 997 176
Colitis 970 135
Fatigue 916 174

Which publications cover Melanoma? (2,275)

Shown in this order: major-topic papers first, then newest, then most linked to trials.

Publications
Publication Journal Year Major topic
Retreatment and rechallenge with BRAF/MEK inhibitors in patients with metastatic melanoma: results from the real-world Spanish Melanoma Registry (GEM-1801). Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico 2026 Yes
Nivolumab for Resected Stage III or IV Melanoma at 9 Years. The New England journal of medicine 2026 Yes
Pilot Study of Immediate Lymphatic Reconstruction (ILR) During Lymph Node Dissection for Node-Positive Melanoma: Feasibility, Safety, and Early Outcomes. Journal of surgical oncology 2026 Yes
Pooled Long-Term Outcomes With Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab or Nivolumab Alone in Patients With Advanced Melanoma. Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2025 Yes
Mitochondrial bioenergetics and networks in melanoma: an update. Apoptosis : an international journal on programmed cell death 2025 Yes

Sub-conditions in MeSH (4)

MeSH descendants one level down with at least one trial, most trials first.

Not on this page

Not measured: delivery record.

Checked, with nothing recorded for this condition: prevalence and rare-disease identity.

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