This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the combination of nivolumab (nivo) plus ipilimumab (ipi) as a first-line therapy with respect to the 12-month overall survival (OS) in patients with ...metastatic uveal melanoma (MUM) who are not eligible for liver resection.
This was a single-arm, phase II trial led by the Spanish Multidisciplinary Melanoma Group (GEM) on nivo plus ipi for systemic treatment-naïve patients of age > 18 years, with histologically confirmed MUM, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group-PS 0/1, and confirmed progressive metastatic disease (M1). Nivo (1 mg/kg once every 3 weeks) and ipi (3 mg/kg once every 3 weeks) were administered during four inductions, followed by nivo (3 mg/kg once every 2 weeks) until progressive disease, toxicity, or withdrawal. The primary end point was 12-month OS. OS, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall response rate were evaluated every 6 weeks using RECIST (v1.1). Safety was also evaluated. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models comprising relevant clinical factors were used to evaluate the potential association with response to treatment and survival. Cytokines were quantified in serum samples for their putative role in immune modulation/angiogenesis and/or earlier evidence of involvement in immunotherapy.
A total of 52 patients with a median age of 59 years (range, 26-84 years) were enrolled. Overall, 78.8%, 56%, and 32% of patients had liver M1, extra-liver M1, and elevated lactate dehydrogenase. Stable disease was the most common outcome (51.9%). The primary end point was 12-month OS, which was 51.9% (95% CI, 38.3 to 65.5). The median OS and PFS were 12.7 months and 3.0 months, respectively. PFS was influenced by higher LDH values.
Nivo plus ipi in the first-line setting for MUM showed a modest improvement in OS over historical benchmarks of chemotherapy, with a manageable toxicity profile.
Highlights • Predictive biomarkers are essential to improve the efficacy of anticancer drugs. • Biomarker identification requires well-designed studies that follow an adequate methodology. • This ...manuscript provides a methodological framework to design biomarker identificaton studies based on previous successful experiences.
Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most frequent primary ocular cancer in adults, accounting for 5% of all melanomas. Despite effective treatments for the primary tumour, up to 50% of UM patients will ...develop metastasis, leading to a very poor prognosis and a median overall survival of 6 to 12 months, with no major improvements in the last 30 years. There is no standard oncological treatment available for metastatic UM patients, and BRAF/MEK and immune checkpoint inhibitors show disappointing results when compared to cutaneous melanoma (CM). Recent advances in biology, however, identified specific gene and chromosome alterations, potentially permitting an actively tailored surveillance strategy, and dedicated clinical studies. Being a rare cancer, UM patients have to overcome issues such as identifying referral centres, having access to information, and partnering with oncologists for specific management strategies and research priorities. Here, we describe how the EUropean Rare Adult solid CAacer Network (EURACAN) will help in addressing these challenges and accelerating international collaborations to enhance the development of innovative treatments in UM.
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive, primary cutaneous neuroendocrine tumor that typically presents as an indurated nodule on sun‐exposed areas of the head and neck in the white ...population. Major risk factors include immunosuppression, UV light exposure, and advanced age. Up to 80% of MCC are associated with Merkel cell polyomavirus. About 50% of patients present with localized disease, and surgical resection with or without adjuvant radiotherapy is generally indicated in this context. However, recurrence rates are high and overall prognosis rather poor, with mortality rates of 33%–46%. MCC is a chemosensitive disease, but responses in the advanced setting are seldom durable and not clearly associated with improved survival. Several recent trials with checkpoint inhibitors (pembrolizumab, avelumab, nivolumab) have shown very promising results with a favorable safety profile, in both chemonaïve and pretreated patients. In 2017, avelumab was approved by several regulatory agencies for the treatment of metastatic MCC, the first drug to be approved for this orphan disease. More recently, pembrolizumab has also been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in this setting. Immunotherapy has therefore become the new standard of care in advanced MCC. This article reviews current evidence and recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of MCC and discusses recent therapeutic advances and their implications for care in patients with advanced disease. This consensus statement is the result of a collaboration between the Spanish Cooperative Group for Neuroendocrine Tumors, the Spanish Group of Treatment on Head and Neck Tumors, and the Spanish Melanoma Group.
Implications for Practice
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an uncommon aggressive skin cancer associated with advanced age, UV light exposure, and immunosuppression. Up to 80% are associated with Merkel cell polyomavirus. MCC is a chemosensitive disease, but tumor responses in the advanced setting are short‐lived with no long‐term survivors. Recent clinical trials with immune checkpoint inhibitors (i.e., pembrolizumab, avelumab, nivolumab) have shown promising results, with avelumab becoming the first drug to receive regulatory approval for this orphan indication. Further follow‐up is needed, however, to define more adequately the long‐term benefits of these drugs, and continued research is warranted to optimize immunotherapeutic strategies in this setting.
This review summarizes current available evidence for the diagnosis and treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma, including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. This article also reports details of recent therapeutic advances and related implications for care in patients with advanced disease.
We previously identified the presence of the melanocyte-specific secreted (ME20-S) glycoprotein in secretomes of uveal melanoma (UM) cultures. The aim of this study was to test for the presence and ...levels of ME20-S in the serum of patients with choroidal nevi and UM and correlate these levels with individual clinical data.
Serum ME20-S levels were determined by ELISA in 111 patients distributed into four categories (53 choroidal nevi, 30 untreated UM, 11 10-year disease-free DF UM, 17 hepatic metastatic UM) and 32 age- and sex-matched controls. ME20-S levels were correlated with individual clinical data.
The UM and the metastatic groups showed significantly higher levels of serum ME20-S than the other groups (P < 0.001). ME20-S levels in the DF patients did not differ from those in the control group. In addition, log-transformed serum ME20-S levels showed a positive correlation with the thickness of the lesion mass in UM patients (regression coefficient 0.0689, 95% confidence interval 0.0689-0.1123, R2 = 27.1%).
Elevated ME20-S serum levels are associated with tumor size and advanced stages of UM while low levels are characteristic of DF patients. ME20-S might be a promising serum marker for UM and useful for monitoring metastatic disease.
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Background: Abiraterone, enzalutamide and docetaxel represent first-line (1L) treatment options in mCRPC. A significant correlation between rPFS and OS has been reported for ...patients treated with 1L abi and enza in mCRPC. It is however unclear whether TTPP or rPFS present a similar magnitude of correlation with OS in Doc-treated pts. Methods: We evaluated the association of TTPP and rPFS with OS in pts treated with 1L Abi/Enza or Doc in a prospective multicenter observational cohort study. TTPP and rPFS were defined as per PCWG2. Correlation between TTPP and rPFS with OS was evaluated with Spearman rho coefficients (r), and by calculating the concordance index (c-index) in Cox-regression models. Results: 406 out of 419 pts received 1L Abi/Enza or Doc. After a median follow-up of 40 months (m), 253 mCRPC-related deaths were observed, with a median OS of 31.3 m (95% CI: 27.6-35). Median rPFS and TTPP were 10.8 m (95% CI:9.7-11.9) and 7.2 m (95% CI:6.7-7.7), respectively. Significant correlations between rPFS/TTPP and OS were observed in all pts treated at 1L, as well as in Abi/Enza and Doc treated pts (Table). R and c-index were consistently higher in Abi/Enza treated pts than in Doc treated pts, with a higher difference in predictive accuracy of the Cox regression model observed when comparing the association between TTPP and OS (c-index 0.788 in Abi/Enza treated pts vs 0.627 in Doc treated pts). Conclusions: Differences in r and c-index were observed when evaluating the association between TTPP/rPFS and OS in Abi/Enza and Doc treated pts, suggesting rPFS and TTPP may better predict OS in Abi/Enza than in Doc-treated pts. Indirect comparisons of TTPP in Abi/Enza vs Doc pts may therefore not reflect their true impact on OS. Further insight on the exact significance of TTPP is needed. Clinical trial information: NCT03075735. Table: see text
Uveal melanoma is the most common intraocular malignancy in adults. Despite the effective primary treatment, up to 50% of patients with uveal melanoma will develop metastatic lesions mainly in the ...liver, which are resistant to conventional chemotherapy and lead to patient's death. To date, no orthotopic murine models of uveal melanoma which can develop spontaneous metastasis are available for preclinical studies. Here, we describe a spontaneous metastatic model of uveal melanoma based on the orthotopic injection of human uveal melanoma cells into the suprachoroidal space of immunodeficient NSG mice. All mice injected with bioluminescent OMM2.5 ( n = 23) or MP41 ( n = 19) cells developed a primary tumor. After eye enucleation, additional bioluminescence signals were detected in the lungs and in the liver. At necropsy, histopathological studies confirmed the presence of lung metastases in 100% of the mice. Liver metastases were assessed in 87 and in 100% of the mice that received OMM2.5 or MP41 cells, respectively. All tumors and metastatic lesions expressed melanoma markers and the signaling molecules insulin-like growth factor type I receptor and myristoylated alanine-rich C-kinase substrate, commonly activated in uveal melanoma. The novelty of this orthotopic mouse xenograft model is the development of spontaneous metastases in the liver from the primary site, reproducing the organoespecificity of metastasis observed in uveal melanoma patients. The faster growth and the high metastatic incidence may be attributed at least in part, to the severe immunodeficiency of NSG mice. This model may be useful for preclinical testing of targeted therapies with potential uveal melanoma antimetastatic activity and to study the mechanisms involved in liver metastasis.
Abstract Updated information published up to 2016 regarding major advances in renal cancer, bladder cancer, and prostate cancer is here presented. Based on an ever better understanding of the genetic ...and molecular alterations that govern the initial pathogenic mechanisms of tumor oncogenesis, an improvement in the characterization and treatment of urologic tumors has been achieved in the past year. According to the Cancer Genome Atlas (ATLAS) project, alterations in the MET pathway are characteristics of type 1 papillary renal cell carcinomas, and activation of NRF2-ARE pathway is associated with the biologically distinct type 2. While sunitinib and pazopanib continue to be the standard first-line treatment in metastatic renal cell carcinoma of clear cell histology, nivolumab and and cabozantinib are now the agents of choice in the second-line setting. In relation to urothelial bladder carcinoma, new potential molecular targets such as FGFR3 , PI3 K/AKT , RTK/RAS , CDKN2A , ARIDIA , ERBB2 have been identified. Response to adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy appears to be related to basal, luminal, and p53-like intrinsic subtypes. A phase II study with eribulin and a maintenance phase II trial with vinflunine have shown promising results. Similarly, the use of the check point inhibitors in advanced disease is likely to revolutionize the management of patients who have progressed after cisplatin-based chemotherapy. In prostate cancer, seven mutually exclusive molecular subtypes have been identified by the TCGA project. Chemotherapy has been consolidated as a key treatment for castration-sensitive metastatic prostate cancer, and abiraterone, enzalutamide, cabazitaxel, and radium-223 remain standard therapeutic options for men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. All this progress will undoubtedly contribute to the development of new treatments and therapeutic strategies that will improve the survival and quality of life of our patients.
Background:
Uveal melanoma is a poor prognosis cancer. Ergolide, a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from
Inula
Brittanica
, exerts anti-cancer properties. The objective of this study was to
1)
evaluate ...whether ergolide reduced metastatic uveal melanoma (MUM) cell survival/viability
in vitro
and
in vivo
; and
2)
to understand the molecular mechanism of ergolide action.
Methods:
Ergolide bioactivity was screened via long-term proliferation assay in UM/MUM cells and in zebrafish MUM xenograft models. Mass spectrometry profiled proteins modulated by ergolide within whole cell or extracellular vesicle (EVs) lysates of the OMM2.5 MUM cell line. Protein expression was analyzed by immunoblots and correlation analyses to UM patient survival used The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data.
Results:
Ergolide treatment resulted in significant, dose-dependent reductions (48.5 to 99.9%;
p
<0.0001) in OMM2.5 cell survival
in vitro
and of normalized primary zebrafish xenograft fluorescence (56%;
p
<0.0001)
in vivo
, compared to vehicle controls. Proteome-profiling of ergolide-treated OMM2.5 cells, identified 5023 proteins, with 52 and 55 proteins significantly altered at 4 and 24 hours, respectively (
p
<0.05; fold-change >1.2). Immunoblotting of heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX1) and growth/differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) corroborated the proteomic data. Additional proteomics of EVs isolated from OMM2.5 cells treated with ergolide, detected 2931 proteins. There was a large overlap with EV proteins annotated within the Vesiclepedia compendium. Within the differentially expressed proteins, the proteasomal pathway was primarily altered. Interestingly, BRCA2 and CDKN1A Interacting Protein (BCCIP) and Chitinase Domain Containing 1 (CHID1), were the only proteins significantly differentially expressed by ergolide in both the OMM2.5 cellular and EV isolates and they displayed inverse differential expression in the cells versus the EVs.
Conclusions:
Ergolide is a novel, promising anti-proliferative agent for UM/MUM. Proteomic profiling of OMM2.5 cellular/EV lysates identified candidate pathways elucidating the action of ergolide and putative biomarkers of UM, that require further examination.
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