Melanoma Schadendorf, Dirk; van Akkooi, Alexander C J; Berking, Carola ...
The Lancet (British edition),
09/2018, Volume:
392, Issue:
10151
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Cutaneous melanoma causes 55 500 deaths annually. The incidence and mortality rates of the disease differ widely across the globe depending on access to early detection and primary care. Once ...melanoma has spread, this type of cancer rapidly becomes life-threatening. For more than 40 years, few treatment options were available, and clinical trials during that time were all unsuccessful. Over the past 10 years, increased biological understanding and access to innovative therapeutic substances have transformed advanced melanoma into a new oncological model for treating solid cancers. Treatments that target B-Raf proto-oncogene serine/threonine-kinase (BRAF)V600 (Val600) mutations using selected BRAF inhibitors combined with mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors have significantly improved response and overall survival. Furthermore, advanced cutaneous melanoma has developed into a prototype for testing checkpoint-modulating agents, which has increased hope for long-term tumour containment and a potential cure. These expectations have been sustained by clinical success with targeted agents and antibodies that block programmed cell-death protein 1 in locoregional disease, which induces prolongation of relapse-free, distant-metastasis-free, and overall survival times.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Vitiligo-like depigmentation in patients with melanoma may be associated with more favorable clinical outcome. We conducted a systematic review of patients with stage III to IV melanoma treated with ...immunotherapy to determine the cumulative incidence of vitiligo-like depigmentation and the prognostic value of vitiligo development on survival.
We systemically searched and selected all studies on melanoma immunotherapy that reported on autoimmune toxicity and/or vitiligo between 1995 and 2013. Methodologic quality of each study was appraised using adapted criteria for systematic reviews in prognostic studies. Random-effect models were used to calculate summary estimates of the cumulative incidence of vitiligo-like depigmentation across studies. The prognostic value of vitiligo-like depigmentation on survival outcome was assessed using random-effects Cox regression survival analyses.
One hundred thirty-seven studies were identified comprising 139 treatment arms (11 general immune stimulation, 84 vaccine, 28 antibody-based, and 16 adoptive transfer) including a total of 5,737 patients. The overall cumulative incidence of vitiligo was 3.4% (95% CI, 2.5% to 4.5%). In 27 studies reporting individual patient data, vitiligo development was significantly associated with both progression-free-survival (hazard ratio HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.32 to 0.82; P < .005) and overall survival (HR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.10 to 0.61; P < .003), indicating that these patients have two to four times less risk of disease progression and death, respectively, compared with patients without vitiligo development.
Although vitiligo occurs only in a low percentage of patients with melanoma treated with immunotherapy, our findings suggest clear survival benefit in these patients. Awareness of vitiligo induction in patients with melanoma is important as an indicator of robust antimelanoma immunity and associated improved survival.
Abstract Background Acquired resistance to BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) is a near-universal phenomenon caused by numerous genetic and non-genetic alterations. In this study, we evaluated the spectrum, ...onset, pattern of progression, and subsequent clinical outcomes associated with specific mechanisms of resistance. Methods We compiled clinical and genetic data from 100 patients with 132 tissue samples obtained at progression on BRAFi therapy from 3 large, previously published studies of BRAFi resistance. These samples were subjected to whole-exome sequencing and/or polymerase chain reaction-based genetic testing. Results Among 132 samples, putative resistance mechanisms were identified in 58%, including NRAS or KRAS mutations (20%), BRAF splice variants (16%), BRAF V600E/K amplifications (13%), MEK1/2 mutations (7%), and non-mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway alterations (11%). Marked heterogeneity was observed within tumors and patients; 18 of 19 patients (95%) with more than one progression biopsy had distinct/unknown drivers of resistance between samples. NRAS mutations were associated with vemurafenib use (p = 0.045) and intracranial metastases (p = 0.036), and MEK1/2 mutations correlated with hepatic progression (p = 0.011). Progression-free survival and overall survival were similar across resistance mechanisms. The median survival after disease progression was 6.9 months, and responses to subsequent BRAF and MEK inhibition were uncommon (2 of 15; 13%). Post-progression outcomes did not correlate with specific acquired BRAFi-resistance mechanisms. Conclusions This is the first study to systematically characterise the clinical implications of particular acquired BRAFi-resistance mechanisms in patients with BRAF -mutant melanoma largest study to compile the landscape of resistance. Despite marked heterogeneity of resistance mechanisms within patients, NRAS mutations correlated with vemurafenib use and intracranial disease involvement.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
The Rapid Rise in Cutaneous Melanoma Diagnoses Welch, H. Gilbert; Mazer, Benjamin L; Adamson, Adewole S
The New England journal of medicine,
01/2021, Volume:
384, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The incidence of melanoma of the skin is 6 times as high as it was 40 years ago; mortality has stayed low. UV light exposure is the strongest environmental risk factor, but its magnitude gives a ...relative risk of about 2. The most likely factors influencing the increase are changing thresholds to biopsy pigmented lesions and to label the morphologic change as melanoma.
In patients with surgically resected melanoma, those with
BRAF
mutations who received 1 year of oral adjuvant therapy with dabrafenib and trametinib had a 53% lower risk of 3-year recurrence than ...those who received placebo.
Cancer immunotherapies provide survival benefits in responding patients, but many patients fail to respond. Identifying the biology of treatment response and resistance are a priority to optimize ...drug selection and improve patient outcomes. We performed transcriptomic and immune profiling on 158 tumor biopsies from melanoma patients treated with anti-PD-1 monotherapy (n = 63) or combined anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 (n = 57). These data identified activated T cell signatures and T cell populations in responders to both treatments. Further mass cytometry analysis identified an EOMES+CD69+CD45RO+ effector memory T cell phenotype that was significantly more abundant in responders to combined immunotherapy compared with non-responders (n = 18). The gene expression profile of this population was associated with longer progression-free survival in patients treated with single agent and greater tumor shrinkage in both treatments.
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•Activated T cell signatures/populations drive response to anti-PD-1-based therapies•EOMES+CD69+CD45RO+ effector memory T cells are associated with response•EOMES+CD69+CD45RO+ expression is associated with longer PFS and tumor shrinkage•Non-responders with TIL-hot tumors express other immune drug targets
Gide et al. characterize melanoma samples from patients treated with anti-PD-1 alone or with anti-CTLA-4. Tumors from non-responders to monotherapy often express other immune checkpoints and higher gene expression profile of EOMES+CD69+CD45RO+ T cells is associated with greater tumor shrinkage in both therapies.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Several biomarkers of response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) show potential but are not yet scalable to the clinic. We developed a pipeline that integrates deep learning on histology ...specimens with clinical data to predict ICI response in advanced melanoma.
We used a training cohort from New York University (New York, NY) and a validation cohort from Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN). We built a multivariable classifier that integrates neural network predictions with clinical data. A ROC curve was generated and the optimal threshold was used to stratify patients as high versus low risk for progression. Kaplan-Meier curves compared progression-free survival (PFS) between the groups. The classifier was validated on two slide scanners (Aperio AT2 and Leica SCN400).
The multivariable classifier predicted response with AUC 0.800 on images from the Aperio AT2 and AUC 0.805 on images from the Leica SCN400. The classifier accurately stratified patients into high versus low risk for disease progression. Vanderbilt patients classified as high risk for progression had significantly worse PFS than those classified as low risk (
= 0.02 for the Aperio AT2;
= 0.03 for the Leica SCN400).
Histology slides and patients' clinicodemographic characteristics are readily available through standard of care and have the potential to predict ICI treatment outcomes. With prospective validation, we believe our approach has potential for integration into clinical practice.
CD8
T cell-dependent killing of cancer cells requires efficient presentation of tumor antigens by human leukocyte antigen class I (HLA-I) molecules. However, the extent to which patient-specific ...HLA-I genotype influences response to anti-programmed cell death protein 1 or anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 is currently unknown. We determined the HLA-I genotype of 1535 advanced cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). Maximal heterozygosity at HLA-I loci ("A," "B," and "C") improved overall survival after ICB compared with patients who were homozygous for at least one HLA locus. In two independent melanoma cohorts, patients with the HLA-B44 supertype had extended survival, whereas the HLA-B62 supertype (including HLA-B*15:01) or somatic loss of heterozygosity at HLA-I was associated with poor outcome. Molecular dynamics simulations of HLA-B*15:01 revealed different elements that may impair CD8
T cell recognition of neoantigens. Our results have important implications for predicting response to ICB and for the design of neoantigen-based therapeutic vaccines.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Effector T cells have the capability of recognizing and killing cancer cells. However, whether tumors can become immune resistant through exclusion of effector T cells from the tumor microenvironment ...is not known. By using a tumor model resembling non-T cell-inflamed human tumors, we assessed whether adoptive T cell transfer might overcome failed spontaneous priming. Flow cytometric assays combined with intra-vital imaging indicated failed trafficking of effector T cells into tumors. Mechanistically, this was due to the absence of CXCL9/10, which we found to be produced by CD103+ dendritic cells (DCs) in T cell-inflamed tumors. Our data indicate that lack of CD103+ DCs within the tumor microenvironment dominantly resists the effector phase of an anti-tumor T cell response, contributing to immune escape.
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•β-Catenin signaling prevents migration of effector T cells into tumors•Intra-vital imaging revealed failed T cell entry into β-catenin-expressing tumors•Effector T cell migration depends on the presence of CD103+ DCs producing CXCL10•Lack of CD103+ DC-mediated effector T cell recruitment prevents immune control
Spranger et al. show that effector T cells from adoptive T cell transfer fail to traffic to a non-T cell-inflamed melanoma model due to lack of CXCL9/10 produced by Batf3-driven dendritic cells that are present in inflamed tumors but absent in non-inflamed tumors. Human melanomas appear to have similar regulation.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Ipilimumab is a standard treatment for metastatic melanoma, but immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are common and can be severe. We reviewed our large, contemporary experience with ipilimumab ...treatment outside of clinical trials to determine the frequency of use of systemic corticosteroid or anti-tumor necrosis factor α (anti-TNFα) therapy and the effect of these therapies on overall survival (OS) and time to treatment failure (TTF).
We reviewed retrospectively the medical records of patients with melanoma who had received treatment between April 2011 and July 2013 with ipilimumab at the standard dose of 3 mg/kg. We collected data on patient demographics, previous and subsequent treatments, number of ipilimumab doses, irAEs and how they were treated, and overall survival.
Of the 298 patients, 254 (85%) experienced an irAE of any grade. Fifty-six patients (19%) discontinued therapy because of an irAE, most commonly diarrhea. Overall, 103 patients (35%) required systemic corticosteroid treatment for an irAE; 29 (10%) also required anti-TNFα therapy. Defining TTF as either starting a new treatment or death, estimated median TTF was 5.7 months. Twelve percent of patients experienced long-term disease control without receiving additional antimelanoma therapy. OS and TTF were not affected by the occurrence of irAEs or the need for systemic corticosteroids.
IrAEs are common in patients treated with ipilimumab. In our experience, approximately one-third of ipilimumab-treated patients required systemic corticosteroids, and almost one-third of those required further immune suppression with anti-TNFα therapy. Practitioners and patients should be prepared to treat irAEs and should understand that such treatment does not affect OS or TTF.