Project description:BackgroundAdjuvant pembrolizumab significantly improved recurrence-free survival (RFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) versus placebo in the phase 3 KEYNOTE-716 study of resected stage IIB or IIC melanoma. At the prespecified third interim analysis (data cut-off, January 4, 2022), the HR for RFS in the overall population was 0.64 (95% CI, 0.50 to 0.84) and the HR for DMFS was 0.64 (95% CI, 0.47 to 0.88). We present a post hoc analysis of efficacy by subtypes defined by histopathologic characteristics.MethodsPatients aged ≥12 years with newly diagnosed, resected stage IIB or IIC melanoma were randomly assigned (1:1) to pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks (2 mg/kg up to 200 mg for pediatric patients) or placebo. The primary end point was RFS per investigator review; DMFS per investigator review was secondary. Subgroups of interest were melanoma subtype (nodular vs non-nodular), tumor thickness (≤4 mm vs >4 mm), presence of ulceration (yes vs no), mitotic rate (<5 per mm2 (median) vs ≥5 per mm2), and presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs; absent vs present).ResultsBetween September 23, 2018, and November 4, 2020, 976 patients were assigned to pembrolizumab (n=487) or placebo (n=489). Median follow-up was 27.4 months (range, 14.0-39.4). The HR (95% CI) for RFS was 0.54 (0.37 to 0.79) for nodular and 0.77 (0.53 to 1.11) for non-nodular melanoma; 0.57 (0.37 to 0.89) for thickness ≤4 mm and 0.69 (0.50 to 0.96) for >4 mm; 0.66 (0.50 to 0.89) for ulceration and 0.57 (0.32 to 1.03) for no ulceration; 0.57 (0.35 to 0.92) for mitotic rate <5 per mm2 and 0.57 (0.40 to 0.80) for ≥5 per mm2; and 0.89 (0.52 to 1.54) for TILs absent and 0.51 (0.34 to 0.76) for TILs present. DMFS results were similar. In a Cox multivariate analysis, treatment arm, tumor thickness, and mitotic rate were significant independent factors for RFS, and treatment arm and mitotic rate were significant independent factors for DMFS.ConclusionsIn this post hoc analysis, the benefit of pembrolizumab was largely consistent with the overall study population regardless of histopathologic characteristics. These results support the use of adjuvant pembrolizumab in patients with resected stage IIB or IIC melanoma.Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03553836.
Project description:BackgroundAdjuvant immunotherapy is revolutionising care for patients with resected stage III and IV melanoma. However, immunotherapy may be associated with toxicity, making treatment decisions complicated. This study aimed to identify factors physicians and nurses considered regarding adjuvant immunotherapy for melanoma.MethodsIn-depth interviews were conducted with physicians (medical oncologists, surgeons and dermatologists) and nurses managing patients with resected stage III melanoma at three Australian tertiary melanoma centres between July 2019 and March 2020. Factors considered regarding adjuvant immunotherapy were explored. Recruitment continued until data saturation and thematic analysis was undertaken.ResultsTwenty-five physicians and nurses, aged 28-68 years, 60% females, including eleven (44%) medical oncologists, eight (32%) surgeons, five (20%) nurses, and one (4%) dermatologist were interviewed. Over half the sample managed five or more new resected stage III patients per month who could be eligible for adjuvant immunotherapy. Three themes about adjuvant immunotherapy recommendations emerged: [1] clinical and patient factors, [2] treatment information provision, and [3] individual physician/nurse factors. Melanoma sub-stage and an individual patient's therapy risk/benefit profile were primary considerations. Secondary factors included uncertainty about adjuvant immunotherapy's effectiveness and their views about treatment burden patients might consider acceptable.ConclusionsPatients' disease sub-stage and their treatment risk versus benefit drove the melanoma health care professionals' adjuvant immunotherapy endorsement. Findings clarify clinician preferences and values, aiding clinical communication with patients and facilitating clinical decision-making about management options for resected stage III melanoma.
Project description:The accelerated development in the treatment of metastatic melanoma, both in molecular targeted therapy and immunotherapy, is already starting to impact on adjuvant therapy in stage III melanoma. Following the approval of ipilimumab for adjuvant therapy in melanoma, clinical trials assessing other checkpoint modulators and MAPK pathway inhibitors as adjuvant treatments for melanoma are currently ongoing. As results from these trials mature in the next few years, a change in the landscape of adjuvant treatment for melanoma is expected, resulting in new challenges in treatment decisions such as optimizing patients selection through predictive and prognostic biomarkers, and management of treatment related adverse events, in particular immune related toxicities.
Project description:For many years, the standard therapy for malignant melanoma was based mainly on surgical resection. Unfortunately, this treatment is curative only in the early localized stage of this malignancy. The metastatic stage of malignant melanoma still remains a huge therapeutic challenge. Despite the many new therapeutic options that have become available over the last years, there is a constant need for safer and more effective treatment modalities. There has been a dynamic development of various anti-cancer immunotherapies directed against new molecular targets. A number of clinical trials are currently being conducted to confirm their effectiveness and safety. In this review of the literature, we summarize the contemporary knowledge on promising new immunotherapies beyond the currently available treatment options for malignant melanoma, including oncolytic immunotherapy, selective inhibitors of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenease, anti-PD-(L)1 (programmed death ligand 1) drugs, immune checkpoint protein LAG-3 antibodies, inhibitors of histone deacetylase (HDAC) and inhibitors of B7-H3.
Project description:One of the most recent advancements in NSCLC was the approval of immunotherapy in the adjuvant setting. Both atezolizumab and pembrolizumab have been approved for the use in early stage NSCLC patients post resection. As it broadens the options for our patients, multiple approvals in the same setting are generally welcomed. However, there were important differences in the two studies that led to the approvals and the data could be confusing. Here we review IMpower010, the study that led to the first approval of atezolizumab in the adjuvant setting with comparison to the Keynote-091 study evaluating pembrolizumab in the adjuvant setting, gaining the most recent FDA approval for adjuvant use in early stage NSCLC.
Project description:The use of adjuvant therapy has provided survival benefits in patients with advanced melanoma. This study aimed to explore the recurrence and prognosis of the PD-1 inhibitor, conventional interferon (IFN), or observation (OBS) on resected stage III acral and cutaneous melanoma patients through a retrospective analysis. Patients with resected stage III melanoma at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from 2017 to 2021 were enrolled with all of their clinicopathologic characteristics collected. They were divided into three groups: PD-1 inhibitor, IFN, and OBS. Survival analyses were performed to indicate the significance of different adjuvant therapies. A total of 199 patients were enrolled (PD-1 n = 126; IFN n = 31; and OBS n = 42), with their median follow-up times being 21 months, 24 months, and 49 months, respectively. The PD-1 inhibitor significantly improved relapse-free survival (p = 0.027) and overall survival (p = 0.033) compared with conventional treatment (IFN+OBS). The superiority of the PD-1 inhibitor was witnessed in stage IIIC/D (p = 0.000) acral (p = 0.05) melanoma patients with ulceration (p = 0.011) or lymph node macrometastasis (p = 0.010). The PD-1 inhibitor significantly reduced local recurrence and systemic metastasis compared with conventional therapy (p = 0.002). In conclusion, adjuvant anti-PD-1 immunotherapy can achieve better survival outcomes in acral and cutaneous melanoma patients compared with conventional treatment, without considering adverse events. More clinical benefits were seen in later-stage acral melanoma patients with ulceration or lymph node macrometastasis.
Project description:Immunocheckpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have altered the treatment landscape of a wide range of malignancies, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This class of agents inhibits the interaction between PD1 and PDL1, and was shown to be efficacious in the landmark PACIFIC trial with 1 year of maintenance durvalumab (anti-PDL1 antibody). This trial demonstrated that its use as a consolidation treatment given after definitive chemoradiotherapy improved progression free survival and overall survival compared to standard-of-care treatment. In this review, we discuss both clinical trial and real-world data that have been published since PACIFIC that support the use of durvalumab for stage III unresectable NSCLC. In addition, we highlight specific populations that may require special considerations for the use of durvalumab in this setting, such as oncogene-addicted NSCLC, the toxicity of immunotherapy, and future directions in ICI research in stage III NSCLC.
Project description:PurposeWe conducted the phase III double-blind European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) 1325/KEYNOTE-054 trial to evaluate pembrolizumab versus placebo in patients with resected high-risk stage III melanoma. On the basis of 351 recurrence-free survival (RFS) events at a 1.25-year median follow-up, pembrolizumab prolonged RFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.57; P < .0001) compared with placebo. This led to the approval of pembrolizumab adjuvant treatment by the European Medicines Agency and US Food and Drug Administration. Here, we report an updated RFS analysis at the 3.05-year median follow-up.Patients and methodsA total of 1,019 patients with complete lymph node dissection of American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual (seventh edition; AJCC-7), stage IIIA (at least one lymph node metastasis > 1 mm), IIIB, or IIIC (without in-transit metastasis) cutaneous melanoma were randomly assigned to receive pembrolizumab at a flat dose of 200 mg (n = 514) or placebo (n = 505) every 3 weeks for 1 year or until disease recurrence or unacceptable toxicity. The two coprimary end points were RFS in the overall population and in those with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)-positive tumors.ResultsPembrolizumab (190 RFS events) compared with placebo (283 RFS events) resulted in prolonged RFS in the overall population (3-year RFS rate, 63.7% v 44.1% for pembrolizumab v placebo, respectively; HR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.68) and in the PD-L1-positive tumor subgroup (HR, 0.57; 99% CI, 0.43 to 0.74). The impact of pembrolizumab on RFS was similar in subgroups, in particular according to AJCC-7 and AJCC-8 staging, and BRAF mutation status (HR, 0.51 [99% CI, 0.36 to 0.73] v 0.66 [99% CI, 0.46 to 0.95] for V600E/K v wild type).ConclusionIn resected high-risk stage III melanoma, pembrolizumab adjuvant therapy provided a sustained and clinically meaningful improvement in RFS at 3-year median follow-up. This improvement was consistent across subgroups.