This webinar was tailored for nurses aiming to deepen their understanding of the assessment and management of complex, unresectable and fungating melanoma lesions. It summarised the goals of systemic and regional treatments, including intralesional injections and isolated limb infusion, and gave practical guidance on assessing and classifying fungating lesions and complex tumours to determine urgent versus conservative management pathways. Emphasis was placed on recognising triggers for urgent multidisciplinary review and on understanding their role in wound and symptom management. Nurses will receive evidence-informed, actionable strategies to optimise symptom control and quality of life, covering pain, exudate and odour management, dressing selection, infection prevention, psychosocial support and patient education.

Contributors

Speakers

Speaker

Dr Thomas Pennington

Surgical Oncologist, Melanoma Institute Australia

Tom is a surgical oncologist with Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) and has appointments as a Visiting Medical Officer in Surgery at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH), Northern Beaches Hospital (NBH) and the Mater Hospital, Sydney. Tom is a Clinical Senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. He holds a number of teaching and governance roles, including Term Supervisor for the RACS General Surgery trainees at NBH and RPAH, the plastic surgery trainees rotating through MIA, and post-fellowship trainees from overseas and locally. He is the current Chair of the Surgical Craft Group at MIA, and chairs the MIA Clinical Committee, the multidisciplinary Mortality and Morbidity meeting at MIA and the M&M meeting for the Department of General Surgery at NBH. Tom has a busy clinical practice with a mix of skin and soft tissue oncology, thyroid and parathyroid surgery, and general surgery. In his spare time, he loves to play golf and is a Panellist with the Australian Golf Digest Top 100 Courses Committee. He also enjoys playing piano for relaxation. He has a wife and four kids, and one Cavoodle called Frankie.

Speaker

Shahn Coburn

Senior Nurse and Nurse Practitioner, Melanoma Institute Australia

Shahn Coburn is Melanoma Institute Australia's Senior Nurse and Nurse Practitioner, providing expert nursing care to patients across the surgical melanoma service. In addition to her clinical role, Shahn leads the wider team of Clinical Nurse Consultants, and is an active contributor to the broader cancer nursing community as a member of MIA's Education Committee, the National Melanoma Nurses Program Steering Committee and the Cancer Nurses Society of Australia (CNSA) Sydney Group, and as a Board Member of the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Nurses Organisation (MSCNO). Shahn completed her Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Wollongong, followed by a Masters in Nursing Specialisation (Oncology), and most recently a Masters of Nurse Practitioner in 2025. Prior to joining MIA, she worked in the Melanoma Clinic at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where she developed her specialist expertise in melanoma care.

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