Malignant Melanoma Presenting as Spinal Cord and Pleural Lesions

Primary spinal cord melanoma (PSCM) and primary pleural melanoma (PPM) are extremely rare entities with scarce cases reported in the literature. We present a case of a 54-year-old male diagnosed with possible primary pleural melanoma and primary spinal melanoma, managed with partial surgical resection, postoperative radiotherapy, and chemotherapy consisting of Ipilimumab, nivolumab, and temozolomide. This leads to decreased symptoms and improved quality of life of the patient. In this case report, we review the literature on PSCM and PPM in detail, addressing the pertinent clinical aspects as well as current and upcoming therapeutic options.

Neoadjuvant treatment for stage III and IV cutaneous melanoma

BACKGROUND

Cutaneous melanoma is amongst the most aggressive of all skin cancers. Neoadjuvant treatment is a form of induction therapy, given to shrink a cancerous tumour prior to the main treatment (usually surgery). The purpose is to improve survival and surgical outcomes. This review systematically appraises the literature investigating the use of neoadjuvant treatment for stage III and IV cutaneous melanoma.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of neoadjuvant treatment in adults with stage III or stage IV melanoma according to the seventh edition American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the following databases up to 10 August 2021 inclusive: Cochrane Skin Specialised Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS and four trials registers, together with reference checking and contact with study authors to identify additional studies. We also handsearched proceedings from specific conferences from 2016 to 2020 inclusive.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of people with stage III and IV melanoma, comparing neoadjuvant treatment strategies (using targeted treatments, immunotherapies, radiotherapy, topical treatments or chemotherapy) with any of these agents or current standard of care (SOC), were eligible for inclusion.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We used standard Cochrane methods. Primary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and adverse effects (AEs). Secondary outcomes included time to recurrence (TTR), quality of life (QOL), and overall response rate (ORR). We used GRADE to evaluate the certainty of the evidence.

MAIN RESULTS

We included eight RCTs involving 402 participants. Studies enrolled adults, mostly with stage III melanoma, investigated immunotherapies, chemotherapy, or targeted treatments, and compared these with surgical excision with or without adjuvant treatment. Duration of follow-up and therapeutic regimens varied, which, combined with heterogeneity in the population and definitions of the endpoints, precluded meta-analysis of all identified studies. We performed a meta-analysis including three studies. We are very uncertain if neoadjuvant treatment increases OS when compared to no neoadjuvant treatment (hazard ratio (HR) 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.15 to 1.21; 2 studies, 171 participants; very low-certainty evidence). Neoadjuvant treatment may increase the rate of AEs, but the evidence is very uncertain (26% versus 16%, risk ratio (RR) 1.58, 95% CI 0.97 to 2.55; 2 studies, 162 participants; very low-certainty evidence). We are very uncertain if neoadjuvant treatment increases TTR (HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.22 to 1.17; 2 studies, 171 participants; very low-certainty evidence). Studies did not report ORR as a comparative outcome or measure QOL data. We are very uncertain whether neoadjuvant targeted treatment with dabrafenib and trametinib increases OS (HR 0.28, 95% CI 0.03 to 2.25; 1 study, 21 participants; very low-certainty evidence) or TTR (HR 0.02, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.22; 1 study, 21 participants; very low-certainty evidence) when compared to surgery. The study did not report comparative rates of AEs and overall response, and did not measure QOL. We are very uncertain if neoadjuvant immunotherapy with talimogene laherparepvec increases OS when compared to no neoadjuvant treatment (HR 0.49, 95% CI 0.15 to 1.64; 1 study, 150 participants, very low-certainty evidence). It may have a higher rate of AEs, but the evidence is very uncertain (16.5% versus 5.8%, RR 2.84, 95% CI 0.96 to 8.37; 1 study, 142 participants; very low-certainty evidence). We are very uncertain if it increases TTR (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.31 to 1.79; 1 study, 150 participants; very low-certainty evidence). The study did not report comparative ORRs or measure QOL. OS was not reported for neoadjuvant immunotherapy (combined ipilimumab and nivolumab) when compared to the combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab as adjuvant treatment. There may be little or no difference in the rate of AEs between these treatments (9%, RR 1.0, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.34; 1 study, 20 participants; low-certainty evidence). The study did not report comparative ORRs or measure TTR and QOL. Neoadjuvant immunotherapy (combined ipilimumab and nivolumab) likely results in little to no difference in OS when compared to neoadjuvant nivolumab monotherapy (P = 0.18; 1 study, 23 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). It may increase the rate of AEs, but the certainty of this evidence is very low (72.8% versus 8.3%, RR 8.73, 95% CI 1.29 to 59; 1 study, 23 participants); this trial was halted early due to observation of disease progression preventing surgical resection in the monotherapy arm and the high rate of treatment-related AEs in the combination arm. Neoadjuvant combination treatment may lead to higher ORR, but the evidence is very uncertain (72.8% versus 25%, RR 2.91, 95% CI 1.02 to 8.27; 1 study, 23 participants; very low-certainty evidence). It likely results in little to no difference in TTR (P = 0.19; 1 study, 23 participants; low-certainty evidence). The study did not measure QOL. OS was not reported for neoadjuvant immunotherapy (combined ipilimumab and nivolumab) when compared to neoadjuvant sequential immunotherapy (ipilimumab then nivolumab). Only Grade 3 to 4 immune-related AEs were reported; fewer were reported with combination treatment, and the sequential treatment arm closed early due to a high incidence of severe AEs. The neoadjuvant combination likely results in a higher ORR compared to sequential neoadjuvant treatment (60.1% versus 42.3%, RR 1.42, 95% CI 0.87 to 2.32; 1 study, 86 participants; low-certainty evidence). The study did not measure TTR and QOL. No data were reported on OS, AEs, TTR, or QOL for the comparison of neoadjuvant interferon (HDI) plus chemotherapy versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Neoadjuvant HDI plus chemotherapy may have little to no effect on ORR, but the evidence is very uncertain (33% versus 22%, RR 1.75, 95% CI 0.62 to 4.95; 1 study, 36 participants; very low-certainty evidence).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We are uncertain if neoadjuvant treatment increases OS or TTR compared with no neoadjuvant treatment, and it may be associated with a slightly higher rate of AEs. There is insufficient evidence to support the use of neoadjuvant treatment in clinical practice. Priorities for research include the development of a core outcome set for neoadjuvant trials that are adequately powered, with validation of pathological and radiological responses as intermediate endpoints, to investigate the relative benefits of neoadjuvant treatment compared with adjuvant treatment with immunotherapies or targeted therapies.

Drug-based therapeutic strategies for COVID-19-infected patients and their challenges

Emerging epidemic-prone diseases have introduced numerous health and economic challenges in recent years. Given current knowledge of COVID-19, herd immunity through vaccines alone is unlikely. In addition, vaccination of the global population is an ongoing challenge. Besides, the questions regarding the prevalence and the timing of immunization are still under investigation. Therefore, medical treatment remains essential in the management of COVID-19. Herein, recent advances from beginning observations of COVID-19 outbreak to an understanding of the essential factors contributing to the spread and transmission of COVID-19 and its treatment are reviewed. Furthermore, an in-depth discussion on the epidemiological aspects, clinical symptoms and most efficient medical treatment strategies to mitigate the mortality and spread rates of COVID-19 is presented.

Adjuvant Therapy of Melanoma

as adjuvant therapy for high-risk melanoma was extensively studied in regimens that varied by dosage, route of administration, formulation, and therapy duration. The high-dose regimen (HDI) showed significant improvements in relapse-free survival (RFS) in 3 trials and overall survival (OS) in 2. Ipilimumab at 3 mg/kg demonstrated significant OS benefits compared with HDI and less toxicity compared with ipilimumab at 10 mg/kg. More recently, the standard of care has changed in favor of nivolumab and pembrolizumab and BRAF-MEK inhibitors dabrafenib plus trametinib (for BRAF mutated melanoma), based on significant RFS benefits and more favorable toxicity profiles.

Cellular Therapy and Cytokine Treatments for Melanoma

Cancer immunotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of patients with advanced stage melanoma. Recombinant cytokines were the first tested and approved treatments; however, due to disappointing response rates and severe toxicities, their use has significantly decreased. More recently, adoptive cell transfer therapies have shown to be a promising new treatment strategy able to induce complete and durable remissions in patients with melanoma progressive on first-line treatment. This review provides an overview of the cellular therapies (tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, T-cell receptor T cells, chimeric antigen receptor T cells) and cytokine treatments (interleukin-2 [IL-2], IL-15, IL-7, IL-10, IL-21, interferon alpha, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor) for melanoma.

STAT5 expression correlates with recurrence and survival in melanoma patients treated with interferon-α

Interferons (IFN) have a direct growth-inhibiting effect on tumor cells through Janus kinase-dependent activation of the transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT1). In vitro, signaling through STAT5 has been demonstrated to counteract this effect and lead to IFN resistance of melanoma cell lines. In 32 patients treated with IFN-α in an adjuvant setting, we investigated paraffin-embedded tumor tissue from primary melanomas and melanoma metastases for expression of STAT3 and STAT5, by immunohistochemistry, and for expression of phosphorylated signaling transduction activating transcription factor (pSTAT)3 and pSTAT5, by immunofluorescence. Tumor cell expression levels of these proteins were correlated with patient characteristics and clinical outcomes. The patient cohort consisted of 12 (37.5%) patients at AJCC stage I/II (primary melanoma) and 20 (62.5%) at stage III/IV (metastatic melanoma). Recurrence was observed for 25 (78.1%) either during or after IFN-α therapy. χ Correlation of staining intensities with clinical data revealed association of pSTAT3 and STAT5 expression with sex (P=0.003 and 0.016, respectively) and of STAT3 with tumor stage (P=0.019). Recurrence of melanoma was found to be associated with high STAT5 expression (P=0.017). Multivariable regression analysis revealed STAT5 expression as an independent factor for predicting progression-free survival (P<0.0001) and overall survival (P=0.022). In summary, high expression of STAT5 correlated with melanoma recurrence and survival of patients treated with IFN-α in the adjuvant setting. Recently, it has been suggested that mutations of Janus kinases are involved in resistance to immune checkpoint blocker treatments implying a possible role of STAT5 for immune checkpoint resistance.

Duration of adjuvant immunotherapy-biologic, clinical and economic considerations

The financial impact of an extensive duration of adjuvant immunotherapy is severe. The clinical and biological rationale for this extensive duration is unclear. This study aims to understand the biologic and clinical rationale for the duration of treatment in designing adjuvant trials and to assess the economic impact of different treatment durations in adjuvant therapy. We searched http://www.clinicaltrials.gov for adjuvant immunotherapy clinical trials. Based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria, we identified 47 trials targeting PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4. We examined the duration of these trials and performed a US based budget impact analysis of three representative trials based on various data sources. Most current adjuvant immunotherapy trials provide treatment for 1 year. Our budget impact analyses estimate that the cost per patient of 1 year treatment with nivolumab for melanoma is $165,000 while the cost of 3 years treatment with ipilimumab for melanoma is more than $1,850,000 assuming full duration of treatment. The annual cost for adjuvant treatment with nivolumab for melanoma is approximately $1.15 billion for the entire target population in the United States assuming full uptake. The necessary duration of adjuvant immunotherapy is unknown. The rationale for duration in current trials is not clear and may be longer than necessary. Non-inferiority trials testing shorter duration of therapies should be conducted. Appropriate mechanisms to fund such trials should be sought out by healthcare payers.

(Neo)adjuvant systemic therapy for melanoma

Surgery still is the cornerstone of treatment for patients with stage II and III melanoma, but despite great efforts to gain or preserve locoregional control with excision of the primary tumour, satellites, intransits, sentinel node biopsy and lymphadenectomy, surgery alone does not seem to improve survival any further. Prognosis for patients with high risk melanoma remains poor with 5-year survival rates of 40 to 80%. Only interferon-2b has been approved as adjuvant therapy since 1995, but clinical integration is low considering the high risk-benefit ratio. In recent years systemic targeted- and immunotherapy have proven to be beneficial in advanced melanoma and could be a promising strategy for (neo)adjuvant treatment of patients with resectable high risk melanomas as well. Randomised, placebo- controlled phase III trials on adjuvant systemic targeted- and immunotherapy are currently being performed using new agents like ipilimumab, pembrolizumab, nivolumab, vemurafenib and dabrafenib plus trametinib. In this article we review the literature on currently known adjuvant therapies and currently ongoing trials of (neo)adjuvant therapies in high risk melanomas.

Adjuvant Therapy of Melanoma

The incidence of melanoma is rapidly increasing, especially in younger female and older male patients. Recent fundamental advances in our knowledge of melanoma tumorigenesis have established roles for inhibitors of the MAPK pathway and regulatory immune checkpoints CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1. However, the majority of patients continue to present with non-metastatic disease-typically managed with surgical resection and adjuvant therapy. High-dose IFN-α2b (HDI) is the main adjuvant therapeutic mainstay in high-risk disease following definitive resection. In this chapter, we review the evidence supporting the use of adjuvant HDI in high-risk melanoma. We also discuss some of the other treatment modalities that have been evaluated including vaccines, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.

Primary extramedullary spinal melanoma mimicking spinal meningioma: A case report and literature review

Primary spinal melanoma is a rare lesion, which occurs throughout the cranial and spinal regions, however, is primarily observed in the middle or lower thoracic spine. The clinical features of primary spinal melanoma are complex and unspecific, resulting in a high misdiagnosis rate. In the present case report, a rare case of spinal melanoma exhibiting the dural tail sign and mimicking spinal meningioma is reported. The initial diagnosis, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), was unclear. Thus, melanin-containing tumors and spinal meningioma should have been considered in the differential diagnosis. The tumor was completely resected using a standard posterior midline approach, which was followed by chemotherapy. Subsequent to the surgery, the patient was discharged with improved motor capacity and a follow-up MRI scan showed no recurrence after six months. The present study demonstrates that it is critical for neurosurgeons to focus on increasing the accuracy of initial diagnoses in order to make informed decisions regarding the requirement for surgical resection. The present case report presents the clinical, radiological and pathological features of primary extramedullary spinal melanoma mimicking spinal meningioma to emphasize the importance of early identification and diagnosis.

Cutaneous melanoma

In the past decade, major advances have been made in the understanding of melanoma. New predisposition genes have been reported and key somatic events, such as BRAF mutation, directly translated into therapeutic management. Surgery for localised melanoma and regional lymph node metastases is the standard of care. Sentinel-node biopsy provides precise staging, but has not been reported to affect survival. The effect of lymph-node dissection on survival is a topic of investigation. Two distinct approaches have emerged to try to extend survival in patients with metastatic melanoma: immunomodulation with anti-CTLA4 monoclonal antibodies, and targeted therapy with BRAF inhibitors or MEK inhibitors for BRAF-mutated melanoma. The combination of BRAF inhibitors and MEK inhibitors might improve progression-free survival further and, possibly, increase overall survival. Response patterns differ substantially-anti-CTLA4 immunotherapy can induce long-term responses, but only in a few patients, whereas targeted drugs induce responses in most patients, but nearly all of them relapse because of pre-existing or acquired resistance. Thus, the long-term prognosis of metastatic melanoma remains poor. Anti-PD1 and anti-PDL1 antibodies have emerged as breakthrough drugs for melanoma that have high response rates and long durability. Biomarkers that have predictive value remain elusive in melanoma, although emerging data for adjuvant therapy indicate that interferon sensitivity is associated with ulceration of the primary melanoma. Intense investigation continues for clinical and biological markers that predict clinical benefit of immunotherapeutic drugs, such as interferon alfa or anti-CTLA4 antibodies, and the mechanisms that lead to resistance of targeted drugs.

Advances in adjuvant therapy: potential for prognostic and predictive biomarkers

Melanoma is the third most common skin cancer but accounts for the majority of skin cancer-related mortality. The rapidly rising incidence and younger age at diagnosis has made melanoma a leading cause of lost productive years of life and has increased the urgency of finding improved adjuvant therapy for melanoma. Interferon-α was approved for the adjuvant treatment of resected high-risk melanoma following studies that demonstrated improvements in relapse-free survival and overall survival that were commenced nearly 30 years ago. The clinical benefits associated with this agent have been consistently observed across multiple studies and meta-analyses in terms of relapse rate, and to a smaller and less-consistent degree, mortality. However, significant toxicity and lack of prognostic and/or predictive biomarkers that would allow greater risk-benefit ratio have limited the more widespread adoption of this modality.Recent success with targeted agents directed against components of the MAP-kinase pathway and checkpoint inhibitors have transformed the treatment landscape in metastatic disease. Current research efforts are centered around discovering predictive/prognostic biomarkers and exploring the options for more effective regimens, either singly or in combination.

Interferon alpha for the adjuvant treatment of cutaneous melanoma

BACKGROUND

Interferon alpha is the only agent approved for the postoperative adjuvant treatment of high-risk cutaneous melanoma. However, the survival advantage associated with this treatment is unclear, especially in terms of overall survival. Thus, adjuvant interferon is not universally considered a gold standard treatment by all oncologists.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the disease-free survival and overall survival effects of interferon alpha as adjuvant treatment for people with high-risk cutaneous melanoma.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the following databases up to August 2012: the Cochrane Skin Group Specialised Register, CENTRAL in The Cochrane Library (2012, issue 8), MEDLINE (from 2005), EMBASE (from 2010), AMED (from 1985), and LILACS (from 1982). We also searched trials databases in 2011, and proceedings of the ASCO annual meeting from 2000 to 2011. We checked the reference lists of selected articles for further references to relevant trials.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included only randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing interferon alpha to observation (or any other treatment) for the postoperative (adjuvant) treatment of patients with high-risk skin melanoma, that is, people with regional lymph node metastasis (American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM (tumour, lymph node, metastasis) stage III) undergoing radical lymph node dissection, or people without nodal disease but with primary tumour thickness greater than 1 mm (AJCC TNM stage II).

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two authors extracted data, and a third author independently verified the extracted data. The main outcome measure was the hazard ratio (HR), which is the ratio of the risk of the event occurring in the treatment arm (adjuvant interferon) compared to the control arm (no adjuvant interferon). The survival data were either entered directly into Review Manager (RevMan) or extrapolated from Kaplan-Meier plots and then entered into RevMan. Based on the presence of between-study heterogeneity, we applied a fixed-effect or random-effects model for calculating the pooled estimates of treatment efficacy.

MAIN RESULTS

Eighteen RCTs enrolling a total of 10,499 participants were eligible for the review. The results from 17 of 18 of these RCTs, published between 1995 and 2011, were suitable for meta-analysis and allowed us to quantify the therapeutic efficacy of interferon in terms of disease-free survival (17 trials) and overall survival (15 trials). Adjuvant interferon was associated with significantly improved disease-free survival (HR (hazard ratio) = 0.83; 95% CI (confidence interval) 0.78 to 0.87, P value < 0.00001) and overall survival (HR = 0.91; 95% CI 0.85 to 0.97; P value = 0.003). We detected no significant between-study heterogeneity (disease-free survival: I² statistic = 16%, Q-test P value = 0.27; overall survival: I² statistic = 6%; Q-test P value = 0.38).Considering that the 5-year overall survival rate for TNM stage II-III cutaneous melanoma is 60%, the number needed to treat (NNT) is 35 participants (95% CI = 21 to 108 participants) in order to prevent 1 death. The results of subgroup analysis failed to answer the question of whether some treatment features (i.e. dosage, duration) might have an impact on interferon efficacy or whether some participant subgroups (i.e. with or without lymph node positivity) might benefit differently from interferon adjuvant treatment.Grade 3 and 4 toxicity was observed in a minority of participants: In some trials, no-one had fever or fatigue of Grade 3 severity, but in other trials, up to 8% had fever and up to 23% had fatigue of Grade 3 severity. Less than 1% of participants had fever and fatigue of Grade 4 severity. Although it impaired quality of life, toxicity disappeared after treatment discontinuation.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The results of this meta-analysis support the therapeutic efficacy of adjuvant interferon alpha for the treatment of people with high-risk (AJCC TNM stage II-III) cutaneous melanoma in terms of both disease-free survival and, though to a lower extent, overall survival. Interferon is also valid as a reference treatment in RCTs investigating new therapeutic agents for the adjuvant treatment of this participant population. Further investigation is required to select people who are most likely to benefit from this treatment.

Adjuvant immunotherapy of melanoma and development of new approaches using the neoadjuvant approach

Melanoma is the third most common skin cancer but the leading cause of death from cutaneous malignancies. Although early-stage disease is frequently cured by surgical resection with excellent long-term survival, patients with deeper primary lesions (AJCC stage IIB-C) and those with microscopic (IIIA) or clinically evident regional lymph node or in-transit metastases (IIIB-C) have an increased risk of relapse and death, the latter approaching 70% or more at 5 years. In patients at high risk of recurrence/metastases, adjuvant therapy with high-dose interferon alpha-2b (HDI) following definitive surgical resection has been shown to improve relapse-free and overall survival. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy have offered the prospect to improve regional recurrence risk and overall survival in several solid tumors. The advent of effective new molecularly targeted therapies for metastatic disease and new immunotherapies that overcome checkpoints of immune response have augmented the range of new options that are in current trial evaluation to determine their role as potential adjuvant therapies, alone and in combination with one another, and the established modality of IFN-α. The differential characteristics of the host immune response between early and advanced melanoma provide a strong mechanistic rationale for the use of neoadjuvant immunotherapeutic approaches in melanoma, and the opportunity to evaluate the mechanism of action suggest neoadjuvant trial evaluation for each of the new candidate agents and combinations of interest. Several neoadjuvant trials have been conducted in the phase II setting, which have illuminated the mechanism of IFN-α, as well as providing insight to the effects of anti-CTLA4 blocking antibodies. These agents (anti-CTLA4 blocking antibody ipilimumab, and BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib) are likely to be followed by other immunotherapies that may overcome the PD-1 checkpoint (anti-PD1 and anti-PDL-1) as well as other molecularly targeted agents such as the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib and the MEK inhibitors trametinib, selumetinib, and MEK162 in the near future. Evaluation of the clinical role of these agents as adjuvant therapy will take years to accomplish to ascertain the relapse-free survival benefits and overall survival benefits of these agents, but neoadjuvant exploration may provide early critical evidence of the therapeutic benefits, as well as clarifying the mechanisms of these agents alone and in combination.

Advances and perspectives in immunotherapy of melanoma

Immunotherapy using unspecific modulators has a long tradition in the adjuvant treatment of stage II/III melanoma. Interferon has shown a consistent effect on relapse-free survival independent of interferon dosage and duration. The results of the american Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Melanoma Staging Database analysis led to a strict inclusion of additional prognostic risk factors such as ulceration of the primary and microscopic lymph node involvement explored by the sentinel node biopsy in the revised 2009 AJCC classification. These factors are now being increasingly included as stratification factors into clinical trials and yield a new hypothesis that primarily patients with both characteristics benefit from adjuvant interferon treatment. In the metastatic situation, interleukin-2 is the only immunotherapeutic agent approved by the Food and Drug administration. In combination with interferon and/or with various chemotherapeutic agents, IL-2 is associated with substantial toxic effect and poor efficacy that does not improve overall survival (OS). Ipilimumab is a fully human, monoclonal antibody that blocks the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 and has recently been approved for metastatic melanoma based on two independent randomized phase III studies both demonstrating an improved OS rate after 1, 2, and 3 years compared with the control group. Based on this major step in treating metastatic melanoma, novel adjuvant strategies in stage III and combination therapies with targeted agents in stage IV are currently being explored.

Comparative clinical benefits of systemic adjuvant therapy for paradigm solid tumors

Adjuvant therapy employing cytotoxic chemotherapy, molecularly targeted agents, immunologic, and hormonal agents has shown a significant impact upon a variety of solid tumors. The principles that guide adjuvant therapy differ among various tumor types and specific modalities, but generally indicate a greater impact of therapy in the postsurgical setting of micrometastatic disease, for which adjuvant therapy is commonly pursued, vs. the setting of gross unresectable disease. This review of adjuvant therapies in current use for five major solid tumors highlights the rationale for current effective adjuvant therapy, and draws comparisons between the adjuvant regimens that have found application in solid tumors.

[Immunotherapy of melanomas]

Even early clinical studies showed that adjuvant chemotherapy achieved no therapeutic benefit for melanomas so that in the current guidelines its use is only recommended within the framework of clinical studies. For over 30 years interferons have been used in the adjuvant treatment of primary high risk melanomas as well as in the treatment of metastasized melanomas. They function in an antiviral, immune modulating and antitumor fashion. Direct and indirect effects on tumor cells could be demonstrated for interferons. In Europe low dosage interferon therapy is approved and has become widely established for stage II melanomas, whereas in the USA high dosage therapy for stage III and since March 2011 therapy with pegylated interferon in stage III are also approved. In this article the most important study results will be dealt with in detail. In summary, according to the current study situation therapy with interferon should be offered especially to patients with ulcerated primary melanoma and microscopic lymph node infiltration. Many attempts have been made in the last decades to positively influence the survival time of distant metastasized melanoma by systemic therapy. The recent development of the antibody ipilimumab against cytotoxic T-lymphocyte protein 4 (CTLA-4) could show for the first time a survival advantage in the therapy of melanoma patients in advance stage disease. The licensing of ipilimumab has meant that there is now a new standard available for the second line therapy of malignant melanoma which will be included in the guidelines on therapy of malignant melanoma. A further interesting option for adjuvant therapy is currently vaccination with the recombinant melanoma-associated protein 3 (MAGE-A3) protein in combination with the adjuvant AS015.

IFN-α in the treatment of melanoma

Among the IFNs, IFN-α2 has been the most broadly evaluated clinically. At the molecular level, IFN-α has multiple effects in a variety of malignancies that range from antiangiogenic to potent immunoregulatory, differentiation-inducing, antiproliferative, and proapoptotic effects. A multitude of IFN-α2 regimens that may be classified as low dose, intermediate dose, and high dose have been evaluated as adjuvant therapy in melanoma. A durable impact on both relapse-free and overall survival was seen only with the regimen utilizing high-dose IFN-α2b tested in the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and intergroup trials E1684, E1690, and E1694 as adjuvant therapy for high-risk surgically resected melanoma (stage IIB or III). Adjuvant pegylated IFN-α2b has also been evaluated at maximally tolerable doses compared with the observation group in the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer trial 18991 and has shown relapse-free survival benefits in patients with microscopic nodal disease.

Adjuvant therapy with pegylated interferon alfa-2b (36 months) versus low-dose interferon alfa-2b (18 months) in melanoma patients without macrometastatic nodes: an open-label, randomised, phase 3 European Association for Dermato-Oncology (EADO) study

AIM

Both low-dose interferon (IFN) alfa-2b and pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) alfa-2b have been shown to be superior to observation in the adjuvant treatment of melanoma without macrometastatic nodes, but have never been directly compared. Peg-IFN facilitates prolongation of treatment, which could provide additional benefit. This multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial compared standard low-dose interferon IFN and prolonged treatment with Peg-IFN.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with resected melanoma ≥1.5mm thick and without clinically detectable node metastases were randomised 1:1 to treatment with IFN 3 MU subcutaneously (SC) three times weekly for 18 months or Peg-IFN 100 μg SC once weekly for 36 months. Sentinel lymph node dissection (SLND) was optional. The primary endpoint was disease-free survival (DFS). Secondary endpoints included distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), overall survival (OS) and adverse events (AEs) grade 3-4.

RESULTS

Of 898 patients enrolled, 896 (443 Peg-IFN, 453 IFN) were eligible for evaluation (median follow-up 4.7 years). SLND was performed in 68.2% of patients. There were no statistical differences between the two arms for the primary outcome of DFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.73-1.15) or the secondary outcomes of DMFS (HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.80-1.32) and OS (HR 1.09, 95% CI 0.82-1.45). Peg-IFN was associated with higher rates of grade 3-4 AEs (47.3% versus 25.2%; p<0.0001) and discontinuations (54.3% versus 30.4%) compared with IFN.

CONCLUSION

This trial did not show superiority for adjuvant Peg-IFN over conventional low-dose IFN in melanoma patients without clinically detectable nodes. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00221702.

Retinopathy associated with adjuvant high-dose interferon-α2b in a patient with resected melanoma: a case report and review of the literature

Interferon is the only accepted adjuvant treatment for patients with melanoma; hence, oncologists should be aware of the possibility of retinal abnormalities resulting from its use. Interferon-associated retinopathy in patients being treated for resected melanoma is a rare phenomenon with a proposed immunological basis. Patients are usually asymptomatic or have mild visual impairments, with cotton wool infarcts and hemorrhages. These symptoms and signs usually resolve with the discontinuation of interferon, but in a few severe presentations the visual impairments and retinal changes can be irreversible.

Adjuvant interferon therapy for patients at high risk for recurrent melanoma: an updated systematic review and practice guideline

After complete resection of melanoma, some patients remain at high risk for recurrence. The efficacy of adjuvant systemic therapy has been inconsistent in randomised trials and remains controversial. An updated systematic review was conducted to identify new evidence on the role of adjuvant interferon therapy in patients with high-risk resected primary melanoma. Outcomes of interest included overall survival, disease-free survival (DFS), adverse effects and quality of life. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and the proceedings of the American Society of Clinical Oncology were systematically searched to identify new randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews or meta-analyses. An updated meta-analysis of trials comparing high-dose interferon alpha with observation alone was conducted. The new data are presented in this review. Seven randomised controlled trials met the inclusion criteria: six trials of interferon alone and two trials of interferon plus chemotherapy. Two meta-analyses of adjuvant interferon alpha were also identified. Overall survival was not significantly different between adjuvant high-dose interferon and observation alone (hazard ratio 0.93; 95% confidence interval 0.78-1.12; P = 0.45). A meta-analysis of DFS showed a significant benefit for high-dose interferon over control (hazard ratio 0.77; 95% confidence interval 0.65-0.92; P = 0.004). One trial reported a significant DFS benefit for pegylated interferon over observation alone. Our updated literature review indicates that adjuvant interferon therapy does not confer a significant long-term overall survival benefit in patients with high-risk resected primary melanoma; however, a significant DFS benefit for high-dose interferon or pegylated interferon treatment has been shown. An revised practice guideline was developed based on the systematic review.

Targeting angiogenesis in melanoma: prospects for the future

Angiogenesis has been identified as a relevant target for melanoma experimental therapeutics, based on preclinical and clinical studies. A variety of angiogenesis inhibitors are currently being tested in both metastatic and adjuvant melanoma clinical trials. To date, the most promising evidence of benefit is based on a statistically nonsignificant trend in survival gain reported in a randomized phase II trial combining bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting vascular endothelial growth factor, with cytotoxic chemotherapy. Larger phase III studies are required to determine the true extent of clinical benefit with this class of agents. Key to these clinical trials is the need to include translational endpoints, since correlation of biological and clinical data will provide the opportunity to identify biomarkers predictive of treatment response. These biological studies will also aid our, as yet, poor understanding of the mechanism of action of angiogenesis inhibitors, as well as drug-related side effects. Finally, if these trials show meaningful clinical benefit, then careful consideration will need to be given when designing second-generation trials, in the light of novel gene-directed therapies currently showing promise in melanoma.

Changes of ferritin and CRP levels in melanoma patients treated with adjuvant interferon-α (EORTC 18952) and prognostic value on treatment outcome

Adjuvant therapy with interferon-α (IFN) only benefits a small subgroup of melanoma patients and a predictive marker selecting responders does not exist. IFN induces increased ferritin and decreased C-reactive protein (CRP) levels; however, an association with treatment effect was not studied. Serum was collected from patients participating in the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer 18 952 trial comparing adjuvant treatment with IFN to observation. Serial ferritin and CRP levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, before treatment and up to 24 months. Ferritin levels are influenced by sex and age; therefore ratios of serial ferritin and CRP values with corresponding pretreatment values were calculated. Cox regression model and landmark method at end of induction and 6 months were used to evaluate the association between ferritin, CRP and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS). Baseline ferritin levels were comparable in the two treatment groups (P=0.92). However, ferritin ratios were significantly higher in IFN-treated patients (N=96) compared with untreated patients (N=21) at end of induction (mean: 2.88 vs. 0.75; P=0.0003) and at 6 months (mean: 3.18 vs. 1.02; P=0.009). In the IFN arm, higher ferritin ratios at end of induction and at 6 months were not associated with improved outcome (respectively, P=0.66 and 0.86). Concerning CRP ratios, no differences between the treatment groups, neither an association with DMFS, were observed. Administration of IFN in melanoma patients induced increase in ferritin levels but not in CRP levels. Ferritin and CRP ratios have no prognostic value regarding DMFS.

Neoadjuvant therapy for high-risk bulky regional melanoma

Clinically detectable regional lymph node melanoma metastasis (AJCC stage IIIB-C) carries a risk of relapse and death that approaches 70% at 5 years. Surgical management is the cornerstone of therapy, with postoperative adjuvant therapy utilizing high-dose interferon alfa-2b (HDI). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy or immunotherapy in addition to surgery has been demonstrated to improve outcome in the management of patients with a variety of solid tumors. In patients with melanoma, the characteristics of the host immune response differ between patients with earlier stage and those with more advanced stages of disease (and particularly between those with measurable active disease and those without measurable gross disease) providing rationale for neoadjuvant approaches with immunotherapy. Host immune tolerance is now understood to impede the results of therapy for advanced disease, but appears to be less an issue for patients with microscopic high-risk operable disease, where the host may be more susceptible to immunologic interventions. Phase II studies have shown that neoadjuvant biochemotherapy has limited activity in melanoma patients with local-regional metastases, where chemotherapy may potentially alter the effects of immunotherapeutic agents. Studies of neoadjuvant HDI therapy for high-risk melanoma patients with bulky regional stage IIIB-C lymphadenopathy have shown unexpectedly high clinical and pathologic response rates, without increased morbidity. Through the design of neoadjuvant trials utilizing promising emerging melanoma therapeutics in which it is possible to obtain biopsy samples before and after therapy, a greater understanding of the dynamic interaction between tumors and the immune system is possible. This should lead to the identification of new targets for the treatment of melanoma and aid the development of new immunotherapy that may have greater specificity and less toxicity. This will simplify the evaluation of promising new combinations of agents with HDI to build on the clinical, immunologic, and molecular effect of this therapy for patients with melanoma.

New drugs in melanoma: it's a whole new world

Current developments in systemic therapies for melanoma are spectacular. Over the last 40 years no one drug or combination of drugs demonstrated any impact on survival in metastatic melanoma. In contrast, in 2011 a number of new drugs will be approved. In 2011 immunomodulation with ipilimumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the ligand CTLA-4, has been approved for patients with advanced melanoma in first- and second-line treatment by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and in second-line treatment by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Also in 2011, a significant survival benefit of the combination of ipilimumab with dacarbazine compared with dacarbazine alone for first-line treatment was reported. Other monoclonal antibodies targeting T-cell ligands, such as programmed death-1 (PD-1), also show promise. Various inhibitors of v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homologue B1 (BRAF) yield high response rates in patients harbouring the BRAF-V600E mutation. A significant impact on both progression-free and overall survival was demonstrated for vemurafenib compared with dacarbazine in a phase-III trial. Approval is expected in 2011. Both drugs had only modest effects of 2-3 months on median survival, so combination therapies must be explored. BRAF inhibitors in combination with mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) inhibitors show great potential. Moreover, combinations of immunomodulators and pathway inhibitors are expected to be very active, and phase-III trials are planned. Pegylated interferon-α2b was approved in 2011 on the basis of the results of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) 18991 phase-III trial demonstrating a sustained impact on relapse-free survival in patients with lymph-node-positive melanoma. The efficacy of adjuvant therapy with ipilimumab is assessed in the now fully accrued EORTC18071 trial. Adjuvant trials with BRAF and MEK inhibitors are in the planning phase. Never was there a more exciting period in the world of melanoma treatment.

Cutaneous melanoma: a model to study cancer metastasis

Nodal status in melanoma is a critically important prognostic factor for patient outcome. The survival rate drops to <10% when melanoma has spread beyond the regional lymph nodes and includes visceral involvement. In general, the process of melanoma metastasis is progressive in that dissemination of melanoma from the primary site to the regional lymph nodes occurs prior to systemic disease. The goal of this review article is to describe melanoma as a clinical model to study cancer metastasis. A future challenge is to develop a molecular taxonomy to subgroup melanoma patients at various stages of tumor progression for more accurate targeted treatment.

Autoimmunity and treatment outcome in melanoma

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Only a subset of melanoma patients with advanced disease seems to benefit from immunotherapy. Predictive markers identifying these patients are unfortunately not available. Whether immune-related side effects could serve as predictors for treatment response or just resemble unwanted side effects from immunotherapy will be outlined in this review.

RECENT FINDINGS

Early studies suggested an association of immune-related side effects such as vitiligo and autoimmune thyroiditis with response in patients receiving IL-2 or IFNα. However, conflicting data have been reported as well, mentioning the effect of a higher rate of immune-related toxicities during prolonged administration of the drug in responders/survivors. This type of bias is also known as guarantee-time bias. Recently, a clearly significant and clinically relevant prolongation of survival was demonstrated in patients with metastatic melanoma treated with ipilimumab. Immune-related adverse events were associated with response to ipilimumab, however, at the cost of considerable toxicity.

SUMMARY

Evidence for an association of immune-related toxicities and response in patients receiving IL-2 or IFNα is weak, considering guarantee-time bias. On the contrary, this association for patients receiving anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 therapy (ipilimumab) appears much stronger. Importantly, can we uncouple tumor immunity from autoimmunity in order to optimize immunotherapy in melanoma?

[Current aspects of adjuvant therapy of malignant melanoma]

Despite intensive clinical and research efforts during recent decades, the prognosis of patients with stage IV melanoma still remains poor. Finding effective adjuvant treatment for patients with a high risk of relapse and metastasis is one of the most urgent needs in clinical research. Systemic adjuvant chemotherapy administered in several clinical trials offered no benefit in terms of improved relapse-free or overall survival. Interferon alpha-2a and -2b treatment was the first treatment in the adjuvant setting which has shown a treatment benefit and received approval in Germany. Today clinical research focuses on improved treatment schedules with conventional interferon compared to pegylated interferon as well as on new compounds such as CTLA4 inhibitors like ipilimumab or a vaccination against the MAGE-A3 peptide.

Regulatory T cell frequency in patients with melanoma with different disease stage and course, and modulating effects of high-dose interferon-alpha 2b treatment

BACKGROUND

High-dose interferon-alpha 2b (IFN-alpha 2b) is the only approved systemic therapy in the United States for the adjuvant treatment of melanoma. The study objective was to explore the immunomodulatory mechanism of action for IFN-alpha 2b by measuring serum regulatory T cell (Treg), serum transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), interleukin (IL)-10, and autoantibody levels in patients with melanoma treated with the induction phase of the high-dose IFN-alpha 2b regimen.

METHODS

Patients with melanoma received IFN-alpha 2b administered intravenously (20 MU/m2 each day from day 1 to day 5 for 4 consecutive weeks). Serum Treg levels were measured as whole lymphocytes in CD4+ cells using flow cytometry while TGF-beta, IL-10, and autoantibody levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

RESULTS

Twenty-two patients with melanoma received IFN-alpha 2b treatment and were evaluated for Treg levels. Before treatment, Treg levels were significantly higher in patients with melanoma when compared with data from 20 healthy subjects (P = 0.001; Mann-Whitney test). Although a trend for reduction of Treg levels following IFN-α 2b treatment was observed (average decrease 0.29% per week), statistical significance was not achieved. Subgroup analyses indicated higher baseline Treg levels for stage III versus IV disease (P = 0.082), early recurrence versus no recurrence (P = 0.017), deceased versus surviving patients (P = 0.021), and preoperative neoadjuvant versus postoperative adjuvant treatment groups (not significant). No significant effects were observed on the levels of TGF-beta, IL-10, and autoantibodies in patients with melanoma treated with IFN-alpha 2b.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with melanoma in this study showed increased basal levels of Treg that may be relevant to their disease and its progression. Treg levels shifted in patients with melanoma treated with IFN-alpha 2b, although no firm conclusions regarding the role of Tregs as a marker of treatment response or outcome can be made at present.

Adjuvant high-dose interferon-{alpha} for resected melanoma in a patient with HIV infection

Adjuvant interferon (IFN)-alpha remains the standard adjuvant therapy for intermediate and high-risk melanoma after definitive surgical resection. Data addressing the role and safety of adjuvant immunotherapy in HIV-infected patients with melanoma are lacking. We report on an HIV(+) patient who received IFN-alpha as adjuvant treatment for high-risk melanoma. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of such an approach.

Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic analysis of adjuvant pegylated interferon α-2b in patients with resected high-risk melanoma

Purpose

High-dose pegylated interferon α-2b (peginterferon α-2b) significantly decreased disease recurrence in patients with resected stage III melanoma in a clinical study. We investigated the pharmacokinetics (PK) and safety of high-dose peginterferon α-2b in patients with high-risk melanoma.

Methods

For PK analysis, 32 patients received peginterferon α-2b 6 μg/(kg week) subcutaneously for 8 weeks (induction) then 3 μg/(kg week) for 4 weeks (maintenance). PK profiles were determined at weeks 1, 8, and 12. Exposure–response relationships between peginterferon α-2b and absolute neutrophil count (ANC) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level were also studied.

Results

Peginterferon α-2b was well-absorbed following SC administration, with a median T_max of 24 h. Mean half-life estimates ranged from 43 to 51 h. The accumulation factor was 1.69 after induction therapy. PK parameters showed moderate interpatient variability. PK profiles were described by a one-compartmental model with first-order absorption and first-order elimination. Toxicity was profiled and was acceptable; observed side effects were similar to those previously described. Dose reduction produced proportional decreases in exposure and predictable effects on ANC in an Imax model; however, a PK/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) relationship between peginterferon α-2b and ALT could not be established with high precision.

Conclusions

Peginterferon α-2b was well-absorbed and sustained exposure to peginterferon α-2b was achieved with the doses tested. These data confirm and extend previous PK observations of peginterferon α-2b in melanoma and solid tumors. Our PK/PD model of exposure and ANC effect provides useful information for prediction of peginterferon α-2b-related hematologic toxicity.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00280-010-1326-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Pegylated interferons: prospects for the use in the adjuvant and palliative therapy of metastatic melanoma

Classic interferon-alpha formulations have antitumour activity in a variety of neoplastic diseases, including the adjuvant and palliative setting of metastatic melanoma, as single agents or in combination with chemotherapy and/or interleukin-2. Pegylated interferon, widely used for the treatment of hepatitis, seems to be at least equally efficacious as standard recombinant interferon in the treatment of metastatic melanoma, and the available evidence suggests that equi-efficacious doses have somewhat lower acute toxicity. Moreover, the favourable pharmacokinetic properties of pegylated interferon allow the administration on a weekly basis, with sustained exposure to interferon during that entire period. Several clinical trials have been conducted testing adjuvant and palliative treatment with pegylated interferon-alpha in high-risk melanoma patients with promising results. The role of pegylated interferons in the setting of advanced metastatic melanoma will need further investigation in clinical trials, potentially in combination with targeted or cytotoxic agents with regard to synergistic antiangiogenic and cytotoxic effects. The use of pegylated interferons in earlier stage melanomas will be investigated in upcoming trials.

Interferon alpha adjuvant therapy in patients with high-risk melanoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Based on previous meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the use of interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) in the adjuvant setting improves disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with high-risk cutaneous melanoma. However, RCTs have yielded conflicting data on the effect of IFN-alpha on overall survival (OS).

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the effect of IFN-alpha on DFS and OS in patients with high-risk cutaneous melanoma. The systematic review was performed by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cancerlit, Cochrane, ISI Web of Science, and ASCO databases. The meta-analysis was performed using time-to-event data from which hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of DFS and OS were estimated. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses to investigate the effect of dose and treatment duration were also performed. Statistical tests were two-sided.

RESULTS

The meta-analysis included 14 RCTs, published between 1990 and 2008, and involved 8122 patients, of which 4362 patients were allocated to the IFN-alpha arm. IFN-alpha alone was compared with observation in 12 of the 14 trials, and 17 comparisons (IFN-alpha vs comparator) were generated in total. IFN-alpha treatment was associated with a statistically significant improvement in DFS in 10 of the 17 comparisons (HR for disease recurrence = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.77 to 0.87; P < .001) and improved OS in four of the 14 comparisons (HR for death = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.83 to 0.96; P = .002). No between-study heterogeneity in either DFS or OS was observed. No optimal IFN-alpha dose and/or treatment duration or a subset of patients more responsive to adjuvant therapy was identified using subgroup analysis and meta-regression.

CONCLUSION

In patients with high-risk cutaneous melanoma, IFN-alpha adjuvant treatment showed statistically significant improvement in both DFS and OS.

Efficacy of Low-Dose Interferon α2a 18 Versus 60 Months of Treatment in Patients With Primary Melanoma of ≥ 1.5 mm Tumor Thickness: Results of a Randomized Phase III DeCOG Trial

Purpose

Low-dose (LD) interferon (IFN) alfa (LDI) has demonstrated a consistent disease-free survival benefit for patients with clinically lymph node–negative melanoma in clinical trials. However, the optimal duration of treatment is still under discussion, and no previous trial has evaluated this question specifically. A prolongation of LDI from 18 months to 60 months might be of clinical benefit for patients with intermediate or high-risk melanoma.

Patients and Methods

Eight hundred fifty patients with resected cutaneous melanoma of at least 1.5 mm tumor thickness were included in this prospective randomized, multicenter trial in Germany and Austria. Patients had to be clinically lymph node–negative, and sentinel node biopsy (SLNB) was performed in a majority of cases. They were randomly assigned to receive 3 MU IFNα2a three times a week subcutaneously for either 18 months (arm A) or 60 months (arm B).

Results

Of 850 randomly assigned patients, 840 were eligible for evaluation after a median follow-up of 4.3 years. Tumor thickness and other relevant prognostic factors were well balanced between both groups. SLNB was performed in 635 patients (75.6%), with a positivity rate of 18.0% in arm A and 17.5% in arm B. Neither relapse-free survival (arm A, 75.6% v arm B, 72.6%; P = .72; hazard ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.80 to 1.39) nor distant-metastasis–free survival (81.9% v 79.7%; P = .56; HR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.80 to 1.52) or overall survival (85.9% v 84.9%; P = .86; HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.71 to 1.50) showed significant differences.

Conclusion

A prolongation of conventional LDI therapy from 18 to 60 months showed no clinical benefit in patients with intermediate and high-risk primary melanoma.

Phase II trial of tremelimumab (CP-675,206) in patients with advanced refractory or relapsed melanoma

PURPOSE

This phase II study assessed the antitumor activity of tremelimumab, a fully human, anti-CTL-associated antigen 4 monoclonal antibody, in patients with melanoma.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Patients with refractory/relapsed melanoma received 15 mg/kg tremelimumab every 90 days. After 4 doses, patients with tumor response or stable disease were eligible to receive < or =4 additional doses. Primary endpoint was best overall tumor response assessed by an independent endpoint review committee, and secondary endpoints included duration of response, overall survival, progression-free survival, and safety.

RESULTS

Of 251 patients enrolled, 246 (241 response-evaluable) received tremelimumab. Objective response rate was 6.6% (16 partial responses); duration of response was 8.9 to 29.8 months. Eight (50%) objective responses occurred in patients with stage IV M(1c) disease, and 11 (69%) were ongoing at last tumor assessment. Eight (3.3%) patients achieved responses in target lesions (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors) despite progressive disease within the first cycle. All 8 survived for >20 months; 5 (63%) remained alive. Clinical benefit rate (overall response + stable disease) was 21% (16 partial responses and 35 stable disease), and median overall survival was 10.0 months. Progression-free survival at 6 months was 15%, and survival was 40.3% at 12 months and 22% at 24 months. Common treatment-related adverse events were generally mild to moderate, and grade 3/4 adverse events included diarrhea (n = 28, 11%), fatigue (n = 6, 2%), and colitis (n = 9, 4%). There were 2 (0.8%) treatment-related deaths.

CONCLUSIONS

Tremelimumab showed an objective response rate of 6.6%, with all responses being durable > or =170 days since enrollment, suggesting a potential role for tremelimumab in melanoma.

Clinical and immunologic basis of interferon therapy in melanoma

Interferon alpha2b (IFN-alpha2b) at high dosage is critical to the reversal of signaling defects in T cells of melanoma patients, and to the durable effector (alpha DC1) polarization of dendritic cells. These immunoregulatory effects appear to be uniquely achieved with levels of IFN-alpha only attainable in vivo using the high-dose regimen of IFN-alpha2b (HDI). Three US cooperative group studies have evaluated the benefit of HDI as an adjuvant therapy for high-risk melanoma. All have demonstrated significant and durable reduction in the frequency of relapse, while the first and third trials have demonstrated significant improvements in the fractions of patients surviving compared with observation (E1684) or with a ganglioside vaccine (GMK, E1694). A meta-analysis of 13 randomized trials evaluating adjuvant IFN therapy has now also demonstrated significant benefits for IFN in terms of RFS and OS. Research of IFN-alpha in melanoma is now focused on identifying prognostic markers of outcome and predictors of therapeutic response.

Current concepts in cutaneous melanoma: malignant melanoma

Melanoma of the skin is one of the most clinically important skin and soft tissue lesions encountered by the practicing general surgeon. If it is properly diagnosed and treated in its early stages, its prognosis and outcome are uniformly favorable. The current concepts in malignant melanoma are discussed.