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Tang HKC, Rao A, Peters C, Ambulkar T, Ho MFX, Wang B, Patel P. 'Immunotherapeutic Strategies for Intra-cranial Metastatic Melanoma - a Meta-analysis and Systematic Review'. J Cancer 2024; 15:3495-3509. [PMID: 38817862 PMCID: PMC11134445 DOI: 10.7150/jca.93306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Immune-activating anti-CTLA4 and anti-PD1 monoclonal antibodies (alone or in combination) are being used to treat advanced melanoma patients and can lead to durable remissions, and long-term overall survival may be achieved in between 50-60% of patients. Although intracranial metastases are very common in melanoma (about 50-75% of all patients with advanced disease), most of the pivotal prospective clinical trials exclude patients with intra-cranial metastases, certainly if their lesions are symptomatic and steroid-requiring and the degree of sensitivity of intra-cranial melanoma to immunotherapy remains uncertain, and requires further investigation especially in view of the demonstrable activity of RAF-MEK inhibitors in this clinical setting and the emergence of stereotactic radiotherapy. Our study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of immunotherapy against advanced melanoma patients with brain metastases. In terms of comparative studies, only retrospective analyses could be identified. Based on 3 retrospective studies, treatment of patients with melanoma brain metastases with immunotherapeutic approaches improves overall survival substantially compared with supportive measures alone (no active anticancer treatment). The efficacy of targeted therapy appeared to be comparable to that of immune therapy in terms of overall survival, based on a small number of patients. The combination of concurrent radiation therapy to the brain and systemic immunotherapy led to improved overall survival compared to radiotherapy alone, suggesting potential synergism between the approaches, and combination treatment could be delivered safely. Our review supports the use of immunotherapeutic strategies for these patients although treatment efficacy appears to be lower for symptomatic lesions. In view of the extremely high efficacy of stereotactic radiotherapy approaches in the brain, understanding the interaction between radiotherapy and immunotherapy is vital and should be an area of active investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiu Kwan Carolyn Tang
- Department of Oncology, Nottingham City Hospital, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, United Kingdom
| | - Ankit Rao
- Department of Oncology, Nottingham City Hospital, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, United Kingdom
| | - Christina Peters
- Department of Oncology, Nottingham City Hospital, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, United Kingdom
| | - Tanvi Ambulkar
- Department of Oncology, Nottingham City Hospital, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, United Kingdom
| | - Michael FX Ho
- Department of Oncology, Nottingham City Hospital, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, United Kingdom
| | - Bo Wang
- Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Poulam Patel
- Department of Oncology, Nottingham City Hospital, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, United Kingdom
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Geng X, Kou C, Wang J. The association between graded prognostic assessment and the prognosis of brain metastases after whole brain radiotherapy: a meta-analysis. Front Oncol 2024; 13:1322262. [PMID: 38264750 PMCID: PMC10803601 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1322262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction This meta-analysis aims to provide evidence-based medical evidence for formulating rational treatment strategies and evaluating the prognosis of brain metastasis (BM) patients by assessing the effectiveness of the graded prognostic assessment (GPA) model in predicting the survival prognosis of patients with BM after whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT). Methods A comprehensive search was conducted in multiple databases, including the China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), PubMed, Wanfang database, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase. Cohort studies that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected. The quality of the included literature was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and all statistical analyses were performed with R version 4.2.2. The effect size (ES) was measured by the hazard ratio (HR) of overall survival (OS). The OS rates at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months of patients with BM were compared between those with GPAs of 1.5-2.5, 3.0, and 3.5-4.0 and those with GPAs of 0-1 after WBRT. Results A total of 1,797 participants who underwent WBRT were included in this study. The meta-analysis revealed a significant association between GPA and OS rates after WBRT: compared with BM patients with GPA of 0-1, 3-month OS rates after WBRT were significantly higher in BM patients with GPA of 1.5-2.5 (HR = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.40-0.59), GPA of 3 (HR = 0.38; 95% CI: 0.25-0.57), and GPA of 3.5-4 (HR = 0.28; 95% CI: 0.15-0.52); 6-month OS rates after WBRT were significantly higher in BM patients with GPA of 1.5-2.5 (HR = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.41-0.56), GPA of 3 (HR = 0.33; 95% CI: 0.24-0.45), and GPA of 3.5-4 (HR = 0.24; 95% CI: 0.16-0.35); 12-month OS rates after WBRT were significantly higher in BM patients with GPA of 1.5-2.5 (HR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.41-0.58), GPA of 3 (HR = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.32-0.73), and GPA of 3.5-4 (HR = 0.31; 95% CI: 0.12-0.79); and 24-month OS rates after WBRT were significantly higher in BM patients with GPA of 1.5-2.5 (HR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.42-0.58), GPA of 3 (HR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.32-0.74), and GPA of 3.5-4 (HR = 0.38; 95% CI: 0.15-0.94). Conclusion BM patients with higher GPAs generally exhibited better prognoses and survival outcomes after WBRT compared to those with lower GPAs. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42023422914.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohan Geng
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Changgui Kou
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Jianfeng Wang
- Department of Radiotherapy, China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
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Ahmad A, Khan P, Rehman AU, Batra SK, Nasser MW. Immunotherapy: an emerging modality to checkmate brain metastasis. Mol Cancer 2023; 22:111. [PMID: 37454123 PMCID: PMC10349473 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-023-01818-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The diagnosis of brain metastasis (BrM) has historically been a dooming diagnosis that is nothing less than a death sentence, with few treatment options for palliation or prolonging life. Among the few treatment options available, brain radiotherapy (RT) and surgical resection have been the backbone of therapy. Within the past couple of years, immunotherapy (IT), alone and in combination with traditional treatments, has emerged as a reckoning force to combat the spread of BrM and shrink tumor burden. This review compiles recent reports describing the potential role of IT in the treatment of BrM in various cancers. It also examines the impact of the tumor microenvironment of BrM on regulating the spread of cancer and the role IT can play in mitigating that spread. Lastly, this review also focuses on the future of IT and new clinical trials pushing the boundaries of IT in BrM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aatiya Ahmad
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE-68198, USA
| | - Parvez Khan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE-68198, USA
| | - Asad Ur Rehman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE-68198, USA
| | - Surinder Kumar Batra
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE-68198, USA
- Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE-68198, USA
| | - Mohd Wasim Nasser
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE-68198, USA.
- Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA.
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Franklin C, Mohr P, Bluhm L, Meier F, Garzarolli M, Weichenthal M, Kähler K, Grimmelmann I, Gutzmer R, Utikal J, Terheyden P, Herbst R, Haferkamp S, Pfoehler C, Forschner A, Leiter U, Ziller F, Meiss F, Ulrich J, Kreuter A, Gebhardt C, Welzel J, Schilling B, Kaatz M, Scharfetter-Kochanek K, Dippel E, Nashan D, Sachse M, Weishaupt C, Löffler H, Gambichler T, Loquai C, Heinzerling L, Grabbe S, Debus D, Schley G, Hassel JC, Weyandt G, Trommer M, Lodde G, Placke JM, Zimmer L, Livingstone E, Becker JC, Horn S, Schadendorf D, Ugurel S. Brain metastasis and survival outcomes after first-line therapy in metastatic melanoma: a multicenter DeCOG study on 1704 patients from the prospective skin cancer registry ADOREG. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:e005828. [PMID: 37028819 PMCID: PMC10083858 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-005828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the availability of effective systemic therapies, a significant number of advanced melanoma patients develops brain metastases. This study investigated differences in incidence and time to diagnosis of brain metastasis and survival outcomes dependent on the type of first-line therapy. METHODS Patients with metastatic, non-resectable melanoma (AJCCv8 stage IIIC-V) without brain metastasis at start of first-line therapy (1L-therapy) were identified from the prospective multicenter real-world skin cancer registry ADOREG. Study endpoints were incidence of brain metastasis, brain metastasis-free survival (BMFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). RESULTS Of 1704 patients, 916 were BRAF wild-type (BRAFwt) and 788 were BRAF V600 mutant (BRAFmut). Median follow-up time after start of 1L-therapy was 40.4 months. BRAFwt patients received 1L-therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) against CTLA-4+PD-1 (n=281) or PD-1 (n=544). In BRAFmut patients, 1L-therapy was ICI in 415 patients (CTLA-4+PD-1, n=108; PD-1, n=264), and BRAF+MEK targeted therapy (TT) in 373 patients. After 24 months, 1L-therapy with BRAF+MEK resulted in a higher incidence of brain metastasis compared with PD-1±CTLA-4 (BRAF+MEK, 30.3%; CTLA-4+PD-1, 22.2%; PD-1, 14.0%). In multivariate analysis, BRAFmut patients developed brain metastases earlier on 1L-therapy with BRAF+MEK than with PD-1±CTLA-4 (CTLA-4+PD-1: HR 0.560, 95% CI 0.332 to 0.945, p=0.030; PD-1: HR 0.575, 95% CI 0.372 to 0.888, p=0.013). Type of 1L-therapy, tumor stage, and age were independent prognostic factors for BMFS in BRAFmut patients. In BRAFwt patients, tumor stage was independently associated with longer BMFS; ECOG Performance status (ECOG-PS), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and tumor stage with OS. CTLA-4+PD-1 did not result in better BMFS, PFS, or OS than PD-1 in BRAFwt patients. For BRAFmut patients, multivariate Cox regression revealed ECOG-PS, type of 1L-therapy, tumor stage, and LDH as independent prognostic factors for PFS and OS. 1L-therapy with CTLA-4+PD-1 led to longer OS than PD-1 (HR 1.97, 95% CI 1.122 to 3.455, p=0.018) or BRAF+MEK (HR 2.41, 95% CI 1.432 to 4.054, p=0.001), without PD-1 being superior to BRAF+MEK. CONCLUSIONS In BRAFmut patients 1L-therapy with PD-1±CTLA-4 ICI resulted in a delayed and less frequent development of brain metastasis compared with BRAF+MEK TT. 1L-therapy with CTLA-4+PD-1 showed superior OS compared with PD-1 and BRAF+MEK. In BRAFwt patients, no differences in brain metastasis and survival outcomes were detected for CTLA-4+PD-1 compared with PD-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy Franklin
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen-Bonn-Cologne-Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Cologne, Germany
| | - Peter Mohr
- Department of Dermatology, Elbe-Kliniken Buxtehude, Buxtehude, Germany
| | - Leonie Bluhm
- Department of Dermatology, Elbe-Kliniken Buxtehude, Buxtehude, Germany
| | - Friedegund Meier
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden and, Skin Cancer Center at the University Cancer Center Dresden and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Dresden, Germany
| | - Marlene Garzarolli
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden and, Skin Cancer Center at the University Cancer Center Dresden and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Dresden, Germany
| | - Michael Weichenthal
- Department of Dermatology, Skin Cancer Center, Schleswig-Holstein University Hospital, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Katharina Kähler
- Department of Dermatology, Skin Cancer Center, Schleswig-Holstein University Hospital, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Imke Grimmelmann
- Skin Cancer Center Hannover, Department of Dermatology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Ralf Gutzmer
- Department of Dermatology, Muehlenkreiskliniken Minden and Ruhr University Bochum, Minden, Germany
| | - Jochen Utikal
- Skin Cancer Unit, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Medical Center Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Patrick Terheyden
- Department of Dermatology, University of Lübeck and Schleswig-Holstein University Hospital, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Rudolf Herbst
- Department of Dermatology, HELIOS Klinikum Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany
| | - Sebastian Haferkamp
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Claudia Pfoehler
- Department of Dermatology, Saarland University Medical School, Homburg, Homburg/Saar, Germany
| | - Andrea Forschner
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ulrike Leiter
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Fabian Ziller
- Department of Dermatology, DRK Hospital Chemnitz-Rabenstein, Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Frank Meiss
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Jens Ulrich
- Department of Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center, Harzklinikum Dorothea Christiane Erxleben, Quedlinburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Kreuter
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Helios St. Elisabeth Klinik Oberhausen, University Witten-Herdecke, Oberhausen, Germany
| | - Christoffer Gebhardt
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Julia Welzel
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Bastian Schilling
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Martin Kaatz
- Department of Dermatology, SRH Wald-Klinikum Gera, Gera, Germany
| | | | - Edgar Dippel
- Department of Dermatology, Ludwigshafen Medical Center, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Dorothee Nashan
- Department of Dermatology, Hospital of Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Michael Sachse
- Skin Cancer Center, Department of Dermatology, Klinikum Bremerhaven Reinkenheide, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Carsten Weishaupt
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
| | - Harald Löffler
- Department of Dermatology, SLK-Kliniken Heilbronn, Heilbronn, Germany
| | - Thilo Gambichler
- Department of Dermatology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Carmen Loquai
- Department of Dermatology, Klinikum Bremen-Ost, Gesundheit Nord gGmbH, Bremen, Germany
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Lucie Heinzerling
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Stephan Grabbe
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Dirk Debus
- Department of Dermatology, Nuremberg General Hospital, Paracelsus Medical University, Nuremberg, Germany
| | - Gaston Schley
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Helios Klinikum Schwerin, Schwerin, Germany
| | - Jessica C Hassel
- National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Gerhard Weyandt
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Hospital Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Maike Trommer
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Cyberknife Center, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Georg Lodde
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Hospital Essen and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Partner Site Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Jan-Malte Placke
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Hospital Essen and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Partner Site Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Lisa Zimmer
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Hospital Essen and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Partner Site Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Livingstone
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Hospital Essen and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Partner Site Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Jürgen Christian Becker
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Hospital Essen and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Partner Site Essen, Essen, Germany
- Translational Skin Cancer Research, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Susanne Horn
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Hospital Essen and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Partner Site Essen, Essen, Germany
- Rudolf-Schönheimer-Institute of Biochemistry, Medical Faculty of the University Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Dirk Schadendorf
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Hospital Essen and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Partner Site Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Selma Ugurel
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Hospital Essen and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Partner Site Essen, Essen, Germany
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