Phase II study of neoadjuvant concurrent biochemotherapy in melanoma patients with local-regional metastases

Clinical updates in neoadjuvant immunotherapy for melanoma before surgery

INTRODUCTION

Locoregionally advanced melanoma represents a large group of high-risk melanoma patients at presentation and poses major challenges in relation to management and the risks of relapse and death.

AREAS COVERED

Melanoma systemic therapy has undergone substantial advancements with the advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors and molecularly targeted therapies, which have been translated to the neoadjuvant setting for the management of locoregionally advanced disease. Notably, PD1 blockade as monotherapy, in combination with CTLA4 blockade or LAG3 inhibition, has demonstrated significant progress in reducing the risk of relapse and mortality, attributed to high pathologic response rates. Likewise, BRAF-MEK inhibition for BRAF mutant melanoma has yielded comparable outcomes, albeit with lower response durability than immunotherapy. Localized intralesional therapies such as Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) and Tavokinogene Telseplasmid (TAVO) electro-gene-transfer combined with anti-PD1 have demonstrated favorable pathologic responses and increased immune activation. Most importantly, the S1801 randomized trial has demonstrated for the first time the advantage of the neoadjuvant approach over standard surgery followed by adjuvant therapy.

EXPERT OPINION

Current evidence supports neoadjuvant therapy as a standard of care for locoregionally advanced melanoma. Ongoing research will define the optimal regimens and the biomarkers of therapeutic predictive and prognostic value.

Treatment of Stage III Resectable Melanoma-Adjuvant and Neoadjuvant Approaches

ABSTRACT

Patients with stage III resectable melanoma carry a high risk of melanoma recurrence that ranges from approximately 40% to 90% at 5 years following surgical management alone. Postoperative systemic adjuvant therapy targets residual micrometastatic disease that could be the source of future recurrence and death from melanoma. Randomized phase III adjuvant trials reported significant improvements in overall survival with high-dose interferon α in 2 of 3 studies (compared with observation and GMK ganglioside vaccine) and with anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 ipilimumab at 10 mg/kg compared with placebo and ipilimumab 3 mg/kg compared with high-dose interferon α. In the modern era, more recent phase III trials demonstrated significant recurrence-free survival improvements with anti-programmed cell death protein 1, pembrolizumab, and BRAF-MEK inhibitor combination dabrafenib-trametinib (for BRAF mutant melanoma) versus placebo. Furthermore, anti-programmed cell death protein 1, nivolumab and pembrolizumab have both been shown to significantly improve recurrence-free survival as compared with ipilimumab 10 mg/kg. For melanoma patients with clinically or radiologically detectable locoregionally advanced disease, emerging data support an important role for preoperative systemic neoadjuvant therapy. Importantly, a recent cooperative group trial (S1801) reported superior event-free survival rates with neoadjuvant versus adjuvant therapy. Collectively, current data from neoadjuvant immunotherapy and targeted therapy trials support a future change in clinical practice in favor of neoadjuvant therapy for eligible melanoma patients.

Neoadjuvant Therapy in Melanoma: Where Are We Now?

PURPOSEOF REVIEW

This review summarizes the current state of neoadjuvant immunotherapy and targeted therapy for locoregionally advanced melanoma.

RECENT FINDINGS

Melanoma systemic therapy has witnessed major advances with the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors and molecularly targeted therapy that have been translated into the neoadjuvant setting in managing locoregionally advanced disease. PD1 blockade as monotherapy and combined with CTLA4 blockade or LAG3 inhibition has demonstrated major improvements in reducing the risk of relapse and death that were associated with high pathologic response rates. Similar results were reported with BRAF-MEK inhibition for BRAF mutant melanoma with high pathologic response rates that appear to be less durable compared to immunotherapy. More importantly, in a recent randomized trial, event-free survival was significantly improved with neoadjuvant pembrolizumab compared to standard surgery and adjuvant therapy. Neoadjuvant therapy has become the standard of care for locoregionally advanced melanoma. Ongoing studies will define the most optimal combination regimens.

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.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy of locoregionally advanced solid tumors

Definitive management of locoregionally advanced solid tumors presents a major challenge and often consists of a combination of surgical, radiotherapeutic and systemic therapy approaches. Upfront surgical treatment with or without adjuvant radiotherapy carries the risks of significant morbidities and potential complications that could be lasting. In addition, these patients continue to have a high risk of local or distant disease relapse despite the use of standard adjuvant therapy. Preoperative neoadjuvant systemic therapy has the potential to significantly improve clinical outcomes, particularly in this era of expanding immunotherapeutic agents that have transformed the care of patients with metastatic/unresectable malignancies. Tremendous progress has been made with neoadjuvant immunotherapy in the treatment of several locoregionally advanced resectable solid tumors leading to ongoing phase 3 trials and change in clinical practice. The promise of neoadjuvant immunotherapy has been supported by the high pathologic tumor response rates in early trials as well as the durability of these responses making cure a more achievable potential outcome compared with other forms of systemic therapy. Furthermore, neoadjuvant studies allow the assessment of radiologic and pathological responses and the access to biospecimens before and during systemic therapy. Pathological responses may guide future treatment decisions, and biospecimens allow the conduct of mechanistic and biomarker studies that may guide future drug development. On behalf of the National Cancer Institute Early Drug Development Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Working Group, this article summarizes the current state of neoadjuvant immunotherapy of solid tumors focusing primarily on locoregionally advanced melanoma, gynecologic malignancies, gastrointestinal malignancies, non-small cell lung cancer and head and neck cancer including recent advances and our expert recommendations related to future neoadjuvant trial designs and associated clinical and translational research questions.

Neoadjuvant talimogene laherparepvec plus surgery versus surgery alone for resectable stage IIIB-IVM1a melanoma: a randomized, open-label, phase 2 trial

Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is a herpes simplex virus type 1-based intralesional oncolytic immunotherapy approved for the treatment of unresectable melanoma. The present, ongoing study aimed to estimate the treatment effect of neoadjuvant T-VEC on recurrence-free survival (RFS) of patients with advanced resectable melanoma. An open-label, phase 2 trial (NCT02211131) was conducted in 150 patients with resectable stage IIIB-IVM1a melanoma who were randomized to receive T-VEC followed by surgery (arm 1, n = 76) or surgery alone (arm 2, n = 74). The primary endpoint was a 2-year RFS in the intention-to-treat population. Secondary and exploratory endpoints included overall survival (OS), pathological complete response (pCR), safety and biomarker analyses. The 2-year RFS was 29.5% in arm 1 and 16.5% in arm 2 (overall hazard ratio (HR) = 0.75, 80% confidence interval (CI) = 0.58-0.96). The 2-year OS was 88.9% for arm 1 and 77.4% for arm 2 (overall HR = 0.49, 80% CI = 0.30-0.79). The RFS and OS differences between arms persisted at 3 years. In arm 1, 17.1% achieved a pCR. Increased CD8⁺ density correlated with clinical outcomes in an exploratory analysis. Arm 1 adverse events were consistent with previous reports for T-VEC. The present study met its primary endpoint and estimated a 25% reduction in the risk of disease recurrence for neoadjuvant T-VEC plus surgery versus upfront surgery for patients with resectable stage IIIB-IVM1a melanoma.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for melanoma

INTRODUCTION

In recent years, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has emerged as a cancer treatment. After initial therapeutic success for hematologic malignancies, this approach has been extended for the treatment of solid tumors including melanoma.

AREAS COVERED

T cells need to be reprogramed to recognize specific antigens expressed only in tumor cells, a difficult problem since cancer cells are simply transformed normal cells. Tumor antigens, namely, CSPG4, CD70, and GD2 have been targeted by CAR-T cells for melanoma. Moreover, different co-stimulatory signaling domains need to be selected to direct T cell fate. In this review, various approaches for the treatment of melanoma and their effectiveness are comprehensively reviewed and the current status, challenges, and future perspective of CAR-T cell therapy for melanoma are discussed. Literature search was accomplished in three databases (PubMed, Google scholar, and Clinicaltrials.gov). Published papers and clinical trials were screened and relevant documents were included by checking pre-defined eligibility criteria.

EXPERT OPINION

Despite obstacles and the risk of adverse events, CAR T cell therapy could be used for patients with treatment-resistant cancer. Clinical trials are underway to determine the efficacy of this approach for the treatment of melanoma.

Clinicopathological Features, Staging, and Current Approaches to Treatment in High-Risk Resectable Melanoma

The incidence of melanoma in the United States has been increasing over the past several decades. Prognosis largely depends on disease stage, with 5-year melanoma-specific survival ranging from as high as 99% in patients with stage I disease to less than 10% for some patients with stage IV (distant metastatic) disease. Fortunately, in the last 5-10 years, there have been remarkable treatment advances for patients with high-risk resectable melanoma, including approval of targeted and immune checkpoint blockade therapies. In addition, results of recent clinical trials have confirmed the importance of sentinel lymph node biopsy and continue to refine the approach to regional lymph node basin management. Lastly, the melanoma staging system was revised in the eighth edition AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, which was implemented on January 1, 2018. Here we discuss these changes and the clinicopathological features that confer high risk for locoregional and distant disease relapse and poor survival. Implications regarding the management of melanoma in the metastatic and adjuvant settings are discussed, as are future directions for neoadjuvant therapies.

"To Anticipate": Neoadjuvant Therapy in Melanoma with a Focus on Predictive Biomarkers

Despite surgical resection and adjuvant therapies, stage III melanomas still have a substantial risk of relapse. Neoadjuvant therapy is an emerging strategy that might offer superior efficacy compared to adjuvant therapy. Moreover, neoadjuvant therapy has some virtual advantages: it might allow for less demolitive surgery, permit the in vivo evaluation of drug efficacy, help tailor adjuvant treatments, and play a crucial role in innovative translational research. Herein, we review the available literature to explore the scientific background behind the neoadjuvant approach. We also discuss published clinical trials with a focus on predictive biomarkers and ongoing studies. Finally, we outline a possible framework for future neoadjuvant clinical trial development based on the International Neoadjuvant Melanoma Consortium guidelines.

Neoadjuvant treatments in patients with high-risk resectable stage III/IV melanoma

Introduction: In recent years, the introduction of targeted therapy and immunotherapy into clinical practice has radically changed the management of advanced melanoma. More recently, these treatments also became the standard of care in the adjuvant setting. However, high-risk resectable stage III melanoma (i.e. with clinically detected regional lymph node involvement and/or satellites/in transit metastases) still has a high risk of relapse, even after adjuvant treatment, suggesting that the activity of immunotherapy and targeted therapy may play a relevant role in a neoadjuvant setting.Area covered: In this review, we discuss the results of the main clinical trials conducted in the neoadjuvant setting for patients with resectable stage III and stage IV melanoma, with a focus on the hot topics and a look at the future perspectives of the field.Expert opinion: The long-term effects of immunotherapy and the high response rate of targeted therapy provided the strong rationale to start neoadjuvant clinical trials for patients with resectable stage III and oligometastatic stage IV melanoma. Neoadjuvant therapy may play an important role not only for its possible impact on overall survival, but also as a predictive biological marker to allow for a more accurate personalization of adjuvant treatments.

Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy for Locally Advanced Melanoma

OPINION STATEMENT

Patients with clinical stage III melanoma, defined as palpable lymph nodes with or without in-transit metastases, have poor prognosis even with recent advances with targeted and checkpoint inhibitor therapy in the adjuvant setting. Neoadjuvant therapy for clinical stage III melanoma is an attractive treatment paradigm as patient outcomes may be improved by earlier introduction to systemic therapy. Additionally, preoperative therapy that shrinks disease has the potential to improve surgical morbidity. Neoadjuvant therapy also provides for pathologic response assessment which can serve as a way to stratify patient outcomes and subsequent disease relapse risk. Early trials of neoadjuvant immunotherapy are yielding promising results, with high rates of pathologic complete response (pCR) and improved relapse-free survival rates. Ipilimumab, nivolumab with or without ipilimumab, and pembrolizumab have been investigated in the neoadjuvant setting. A meta-analysis has shown a 1-year relapse-free survival rate of over 80% with neoadjuvant immunotherapy. Importantly, pooled data also shows that pCR strongly correlates with outcomes. Early phase trials have also highlighted the importance of dosing of neoadjuvant therapy to appropriately balance response and immune related toxicities, which can be severe. The combination of ipilimumab 1 mg/kg and nivolumab 3 mg/kg has been identified as an optimal regimen for further study. Translational studies have highlighted the ability of neoadjuvant immunotherapy to expand tumor-specific T cells in both the tumor microenvironment and peripheral blood. At this time, surgical resection and adjuvant therapy remains standard of care for clinical stage III melanoma; however, appropriate patients should be considered for ongoing neoadjuvant clinical trials.

Neoadjuvant BRAF-targeted therapy in regionally advanced and oligometastatic melanoma

Current management of locoregional and oligometastatic melanoma is typically with surgery; however, some patients are unable to undergo resection due to location/size of their tumors and/or the anticipated morbidity of the surgery. While there are currently no established guidelines for neoadjuvant therapy in melanoma, neoadjuvant BRAF-targeted therapy may make resection more feasible. A retrospective analysis was conducted of 23 patients with BRAFV600-mutant, stage III/IV melanoma treated with BRAF-targeted therapy prior to surgery, with no adjuvant treatment. Surgical specimens, preoperative imaging, and clinical outcomes were evaluated. Results: Ten of 23 patients (44%) attained a pathologic complete response (pCR), with no correlation between RECIST response based on preoperative imaging and pathologic response. After a median of 43-month follow-up, only 1 patient (10%) with a pCR recurred, while 8 of 13 (62%) patients without a pCR recurred. Patients with a pCR had significantly improved relapse-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to patients with residual tumor. Neoadjuvant BRAF-targeted therapy is associated with a high pCR rate in patients with stage III-IV melanoma, which may correlate with improved RFS and OS.

Local and Recurrent Regional Metastases of Melanoma

Up to 10% of patients with cutaneous melanoma will develop recurrent locoregional disease. While surgical resection remains the mainstay of treatment for isolated recurrences, locoregional melanoma can often present as bulky, unresectable disease and can pose a significant therapeutic challenge. This chapter focuses on the natural history of local and regionally recurrent metastases and the multiple treatment modalities which exist for advanced locoregional melanoma, including regional perfusion procedures such as hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion and isolated limb infusion, intralesional therapies, and neo-adjuvant systemic therapy strategies for borderline resectable regional disease. Hyperthermic limb perfusion (HILP) and isolated limb infusion (ILI) are generally well-tolerated and have shown overall response rates between 44% and 90%. Intralesional therapies also appear to be well-tolerated as adverse events are usually limited to the site of injection and minor transient flu-like symptoms. Systemic targeted therapies have shown to have response rates up to 85% when used as neoadjuvant therapy in patients with borderline resectable disease. While combination immunotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting has also shown promising results, this data has not yet matured.

The emergence of neoadjuvant therapy in advanced melanoma

The discovery of immunotherapy and targeted therapy has introduced new and effective treatment options for advanced melanoma, providing therapeutic options where none existed before. The natural extension of these novel therapies is to identify their role in the neoadjuvant setting. Neoadjuvant therapy for advanced melanoma is still in its infancy, with a wealth of clinical trials underway. Early results are promising, allowing for management of a disease that previously had few options. We review the current literature and interim results from several ongoing investigations to understand the current state of neoadjuvant treatment options and what is to come. These studies pave the way for further advancements in melanoma therapy.

Neoadjuvant therapy of locally/regionally advanced melanoma

Locally/regionally advanced melanoma confers a major challenge in terms of surgical and medical management. Surgical treatment carries the risks of surgical morbidities and potential complications that could be lasting. In addition, these patients continue to have a high risk of relapse and death despite the use of standard adjuvant therapy. Neoadjuvant therapy has the potential to significantly improve the clinical outcome of these patients, particularly in this era of newer and effective targeted and immunotherapeutic agents. Previous neoadjuvant studies tested chemotherapy with temozolomide where the clinical activity was limited. Biochemotherapy (BCT) was tested in two studies in the neoadjuvant setting and showed high tumor response rates; however, BCT was ultimately abandoned following its failure to demonstrate survival benefits in randomized trials of metastatic disease. Success of immunotherapy and targeted therapy in prolonging the lives of patients with metastatic melanoma generated considerable interest to investigate these novel strategies in the adjuvant and neoadjuvant settings. A number of neoadjuvant targeted and immunotherapy studies have been completed in melanoma to date and have yielded promising clinical activity. Given these encouraging results, a number of studies with other molecularly targeted and immunotherapeutic agents and their combinations are ongoing in the neoadjuvant setting; long-term outcome data are eagerly awaited. Such studies also provide access to biospecimens before and during therapy, allowing for the conduct of biomarker and mechanistic studies that may have a significant impact in guiding adjuvant therapy choices and drug development.

Adjuvant Therapy for Melanoma

OPINION STATEMENT

In recent years, the number of patients with malignant melanoma has continued to increase globally; surgery remains the first treatment option for patients with resectable melanoma. Adjuvant therapy for patients with stage III and IV melanoma following surgical resection has gradually been approved. After complete resection, these patients can probably derive significant benefit from adjuvant therapy. New treatments that improve the long-term survival of patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic melanoma are currently under evaluation in adjuvant therapy to increase relapse-free survival and overall survival. We here review several relevant clinical trials of radiotherapy, systemic immune therapies, molecular-targeted therapies, and neoadjuvant therapies in order to shed light on most suitable adjuvant therapy. The findings of this review include the following: The use of interferon-α2b will be restricted for patients with ulcerated primary melanoma in countries with no access to new drugs in adjuvant therapy. Ipilimumab should not be considered as the first-line therapy due to its lower efficacy and severe toxicity. The use of anti-programmed death-1 antibody would be a relevant adjuvant therapy for patients without BRAF mutation. If the BRAF mutation status is positive, the combination of dabrafenib and trametinib is a plausible option. The establishment of appropriate therapeutic planning and clinical endpoints in adjuvant therapy should affect the standard of care. The choice of optimal adjuvant therapy for individual patients is an important issue.

Neoadjuvant Treatments for Advanced Resectable Melanoma

Neoadjuvant therapy has demonstrated promise as a treatment modality in resectable advanced-stage melanoma. Treatment has evolved beyond chemotherapy, with the utilization of biochemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy in the neoadjuvant setting. These therapies have shown better progression-free survival and melanoma-specific survival when compared with patients that proceed directly to surgery. Ongoing clinical trials will continue to propel research forward to improve the available options for patients with resectable advanced regional disease.

Neoadjuvant ipilimumab (3 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg) and high dose IFN-α2b in locally/regionally advanced melanoma: safety, efficacy and impact on T-cell repertoire

BACKGROUND

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy utilizing novel combinations has the potential to transform the standard of care for locally/regionally advanced melanoma. We hypothesized that neoadjuvant ipilimumab in combination with high dose IFNα2b (HDI) is safe and associated with durable pathologic complete responses (pCR).

METHODS

Patients with locally/regionally advanced melanoma were randomized to ipilimumab 3 or 10 mg/kg × 4 doses bracketing definitive surgery, then every 12 weeks × 4. HDI was given concurrently. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the combination with ipilimumab 3 or 10 mg/kg. The impact on T-cell fraction and clonality were investigated in tumor and blood.

RESULTS

Thirty patients (age 37-76), 15 each at 3 and 10 mg/kg, 18 male and 12 female were treated. Considering immune related adverse events (irAEs) of interest, more grade 3/4 irAEs were seen with ipilimumab 10 mg/kg versus 3 mg/kg (p = 0.042). Among 28 evaluable patients, 11 relapsed, of whom 5 died. Median follow-up for 17 patients who have not relapsed was 32 months. The radiologic preoperative response rate was 36% (95% CI, 21-54); 4 patients at ipilimumab 3 mg/kg and 6 at 10 mg/kg and 2 (at 10 mg/kg) later relapsed. The pCR was 32% (95% CI, 18-51); 5 patients at ipilimumab 3 mg/kg and 4 at 10 mg/kg and one (at 3 mg/kg) had a late relapse. In patients with pCR, T-cell fraction was significantly higher when measured in primary melanoma tumors (p = 0.033). Higher tumor T-cell clonality in primary tumor and more so following neoadjuvant therapy was significantly associated with improved relapse free survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Neoadjuvant ipilimumab-HDI was relatively safe and exhibited promising tumor response rates with an associated measurable impact on T-cell fraction and clonality. Most pCRs were durable supporting the value of pCR as a primary endpoint in neoadjuvant immunotherapy trials.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01608594 . Registered 31 May 2012.

Challenges and Opportunities of Neoadjuvant Treatment in Locally Advanced Melanoma

Locally advanced and metastatic melanoma have historically had poor survival outcomes. Long-term follow-up of both targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors has confirmed the survival benefit of these agents in stage IV melanoma, and recent studies have now demonstrated relapse-free survival benefits from these targeted and immunotherapeutic agents in the adjuvant setting. Neoadjuvant treatment of locally advanced melanoma, including in-transit disease, is now under investigation. Clinical trials have shown early promising results using either combination targeted therapy or immune checkpoint inhibitors. Neoadjuvant treatment may improve surgical morbidity, but balancing treatment efficacy and toxicity has already been challenging in the use of combination immune checkpoint inhibitors preoperatively. While improvement in relapse-free survival has been noted, additional follow-up of patients receiving neoadjuvant treatment will be necessary to report on long-term outcomes. Neoadjuvant treatment also provides additional translational research opportunities to determine predictive biomarkers for targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Evidence of early resistance to treatment may also lead to novel combination therapies to explore in future clinical trials. While neoadjuvant treatment in locally advanced melanoma has exciting potential, more investigation is necessary to determine efficacious regimens with manageable toxicities.

Operable Melanoma: Screening, Prognostication, and Adjuvant and Neoadjuvant Therapy

The importance of reducing the numbers of patients with late-stage melanoma, identifying which patients are most likely to progress, and treating these patients at the earliest possible stage cannot be overemphasized. Improved screening of patients prior to diagnosis has the advantage of identifying early-stage disease that is for the most part treatable by surgical methods. The process of melanoma screening is rapidly evolving through population-based programs, mobile health technologies, and advanced imaging tools. For patients with newly diagnosed melanoma, accurately estimating disease prognosis has important implications for management and follow-up. Prognostic factors are individual host- or tumor-related factors or molecules that correlate with genetic predisposition and clinical course. These include clinical covariates and host and tumor proteomic/genomic markers that allow the prognostic subclassification of patients. Adjuvant therapy for high-risk surgically resected melanoma targets residual micrometastatic disease with the goal of reducing the risk of relapse and mortality. In the United States, three regimens have achieved regulatory approval for adjuvant therapy, including high-dose interferon alpha, pegylated interferon alpha, and ipilimumab at 10 mg/kg. Phase III trials have reported benefits in relapse-free survival (all regimens) and overall survival (high-dose interferon alpha and ipilimumab). The management of locally/regionally advanced melanoma may benefit from neoadjuvant therapy, which is the subject of several ongoing studies. Recent studies have shown promising clinical activity and yielded important biomarker findings and mechanistic insights.

Adjuvant treatment for stage III melanoma in the era of targeted medicine and immunotherapy

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.

Neoadjuvant treatment for melanoma: current challenges and future perspectives

There will be an estimated 76,100 new cases of melanoma diagnosed in 2015 and 9710 deaths. Patients with stage I/II disease have excellent outcomes, and the treatment landscape for patients with metastatic disease has been transformed by the approval of several immune checkpoint inhibitors and molecular targeted therapies. Patients with stage III disease, however, continue to have very limited options, as the only agent shown to improve survival in the adjuvant setting is high-dose IFN-α. Neoadjuvant trials of chemotherapy and chemobiotherapy have not been successful, and while neoadjuvant ipilimumab and high-dose interferon have shown promise in small trials, neither agent has been approved. Current trials are testing immune therapy and targeted therapy combinations in the neoadjuvant setting.

Neoadjuvant therapy for melanoma: a promising therapeutic approach and an ideal platform in drug development

Patients with locoregionally advanced but surgically operable melanoma continue to carry a high risk of relapse and death despite the best available standard management approaches. Neoadjuvant studies targeting this patient population tested chemotherapy with temozolomide and biochemotherapy (BCT), in which BCT demonstrated high tumor response rates but was eventually abandoned with the failure of BCT to deliver survival benefits in randomized trials of metastatic disease. Smaller neoadjuvant immunotherapy studies with interferon (IFN) alfa and ipilimumab have yielded promising clinical activity and important mechanistic insights and biomarker findings. Newer targeted and immunotherapeutic agents and combinations currently are being translated into the neoadjuvant setting at an accelerated pace and carry significant clinical promise. In drug development, the neoadjuvant approach allows access to blood and tumor tissue before and after initiation of systemic therapy, which allows for the conduct of novel mechanistic and biomarker studies in the circulation and the tumor microenvironment. Such studies may guide drug development and allow for the discovery of predictive biomarkers selected on the basis of their capacity to classify patients according to the degree of benefit from treatment or the risk for significant toxicity.

Chemotherapy for Melanoma

Prior to the recent therapeutic advances, chemotherapy was the mainstay of treatment options for advanced-stage melanoma. A number of studies have investigated various chemotherapy combinations in order to expand on the clinical responses achieved with single-agent dacarbazine, but these have not demonstrated an improvement in overall survival. Similar objective responses were observed with the combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel as were seen with single-agent dacarbazine. The combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, known as biochemo-therapy, has shown high clinical responses; however, biochemo-therapy has not been shown to improve overall survival and resulted in increased toxicities. In contrast, palliation and long-term responses have been observed with localized treatment with isolated limb perfusion or infusion in limb-isolated disease. Although new, improved therapeutic options exist for first-line management of advanced-stage melanoma, chemotherapy may still be important in the palliative treatment of refractory, progressive, and relapsed melanoma. We review the various chemotherapy options available for use in the treatment and palliation of advanced-stage melanoma, discuss the important clinical trials supporting the treatment recommendations, and focus on the clinical circumstances in which treatment with chemotherapy is useful.

State of melanoma: an historic overview of a field in transition

The last 30 years has seen a revolution in melanoma. Fundamental elements of the surgical, adjuvant medical, and systemic therapy for the disease have been significantly altered toward improved management and better outcomes. The intent of this article is to reflect on past efforts and research in melanoma and the current landscape of treatment of melanoma. The authors also hope to capture the excitement currently rippling through the field and the hope for a cure. The intent of treatment of advanced melanoma, which was once considered incurable, has changed from palliative to potentially curative.

The use of interferon in melanoma patients: a systematic review

Interferon (IFN) and PEG-IFN are the only drugs approved as adjuvant therapy in patients with melanoma at high-risk of recurrence after surgical resection. Several clinical trials of adjuvant IFN, using different doses and durations of therapy, have been conducted in these patients. Results generally suggest relapse-free survival and overall survival benefits; however, questions over the optimal dose and duration of treatment and concerns over toxicity have limited its use. IFN exerts its biological activity in melanoma via multiple mechanisms of action, most of which can be considered as indirect immunomodulatory effects. As such, IFN may also be of benefit in the neoadjuvant setting, where it may have a role in melanoma patients with locally advanced disease for whom immediate surgical excision is not possible. However, this has not been well studied. The use of IFN in patients with metastatic melanoma is controversial, with limited data and no convincing evidence of a survival benefit. However, IFN therapy combined with novel biological and immunotherapies offers the potential for a synergistic effect and improved clinical outcomes. Predictive and prognostic factors to better select melanoma patients for IFN treatment have been identified (e.g. disease stage, ulceration, various cytokines) and may also enhance its therapeutic efficacy, but their incorporation into the clinical decision-making process requires validation in prospective trials. In conclusion, the modest efficacy of IFN shown in clinical trials is largely a reflection of differences in response between patients. Despite advancements in the understanding of its biological mechanisms of action, the huge potential of IFN remains to be fully explored and utilized in patients with melanoma.

Neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced melanoma: new strategies with targeted therapies

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been successfully tested in several bulky solid tumors, but it has not been utilized in advanced cutaneous melanoma, primarily because effective medical treatments for this disease have been lacking. However, with the development of new immunotherapies (monoclonal antibodies specific for cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 [anti-CTLA-4] and programmed death protein-1 [anti-PD1]) and small molecules interfering with intracellular pathways (anti-BRAF and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase [anti- MEK]) the use of this approach is becoming a viable treatment strategy for locally advanced melanoma. The neoadjuvant setting provides a double opportunity for a better knowledge of these drugs: a short-term evaluation of their intrinsic activity, and a deeper analysis of their action and resistance-induction mechanisms. BRAF inhibitors seem to be ideal candidates for the neoadjuvant setting, because of their prompt, repeatedly confirmed response in V600E BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma. In this report we summarize studies focused on the neoadjuvant use of traditional medical treatments in advanced melanoma and anecdotal cases of this approach with the use of biologic therapies. Moreover, we discuss our experience with neoadjuvant targeted therapy as a priming for radical surgery in a patient with BRAF V600E mutation-positive advanced melanoma.

Chemotherapy in the management of advanced cutaneous malignant melanoma

The recent past has witnessed unprecedented clinical progress in the treatment of advanced malignant melanoma through targeting of mutant BRAF in approximately 50% of patients and immune check point blockade in all patients. As has been well documented, responses to targeted therapy are of limited duration, and rates of clinical benefit to immunotherapy are modest. Given these factors, palliation of patients with chemotherapy remains an essential aspect of melanoma oncology. Many chemotherapeutics (and combinations with other agents, such as immunotherapy) have been evaluated in melanoma, although no chemotherapy regimen has been documented to provide an overall survival benefit in a prospective, randomized, well-controlled phase III study. We provide an overview of the development of the most common chemotherapy regimens for melanoma, discuss the clinical trial evidence supporting and contrasting them, and highlight appropriate clinical situations in which they might be used. We also discuss the future of chemotherapy for melanoma, noting the potential for combinations of chemotherapy with either targeted or immunotherapeutic agents.

Neoadjuvant treatment of melanoma: case reports and review

Neoadjuvant therapy is an under-utilized regimen for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. The use of this approach has been increasing in other tumor types. Neoadjuvant therapy may reduce occult circulating tumor cell burden in the face of bulky disease and afford a real time evaluation of treatment effectiveness. Neoadjuvant approach can also provide preoperative histologic and molecular analysis of treated tissue that may guide the postoperative treatment planning in patients with resectable metastatic melanoma lesions. The putative benefits of better margin control and clearance of occult systemic disease would theoretically improve surgical outcome. With the advent of effective agents against metastatic melanoma, this common approach to the treatment of rectal cancer, metastatic colon cancer, and breast cancer should also be evaluated as a viable treatment strategy for advanced stage melanoma.

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.

Inoperable bulky melanoma responds to neoadjuvant therapy with vemurafenib

A patient with a bulky inoperable stage IIIC melanoma involving the left axilla and neck from a primary of the left medial elbow received vemurafenib as neo-adjuvant treatment. Based on the molecular analysis, BRAF V600E mutation was present. After 4 months of vemurafinib treatment, the tumours shrank to less than 50% of original clinical size and allowed the surgeons to perform a left modified radical neck dissection and left radical axillary dissection. Pathological analysis of specimen revealed viable metastatic cells only in 1 of 40 nodes resected in the neck and axillary dissection, accounting for over 98% pathological response. Other lymph nodes had a mixture of foamy histiocytic inflammatory reaction fibrosis and islands of necrotic tissues. After recovery from surgery, vemurafenib was resumed and continued for 6 months. He remained disease free 6 months after surgery.

Surgical treatment of malignant melanoma: practical guidelines

Melanoma is currently the fifth and sixth most common solid malignancy diagnosed in men and women, respectively. Although accounting for only 4% of cases of all cutaneous malignancies, melanoma accounts for more than 75% of all deaths from skin cancer. This article discusses epidemiology and risk factors, proper biopsy technique, advanced histologic evaluation of biopsy material, assessment of tumor thickness and staging, preoperative metastatic evaluation, excision margin, treatment of regional lymph nodes, treatment of recurrence, and some special clinical situations.

Multidisciplinary management of very advanced stage III and IV melanoma: Proof-of-principle

Patients with potentially resectable advanced stage III and IV melanoma are a selected subgroup that gain maximal advantage if treated in a melanoma center. Surgery combined with chemo/chemobiotherapy may yield durable remission and long-term palliation. Thirty-seven non-randomly selected patients underwent systemic therapy with the aim of consolidating treatment by surgery. Data were collected prospectively, and analyzed retrospectively. The median follow-up from diagnosis was 50 (3-307) months and 15 (1-156) months when calculated from the last intervention. Twenty-two males and 15 females, with a median age at diagnosis of 44 (20-71) years, with 13 trunk, 13 extremity, 3 head and neck and 8 unknown primary melanomas were included. There were 17 stage III and 20 stage IV patients with a median Breslow thickness of 3.7 (0.45-26) mm. Chemo/chemobiotherapy achieved 7 clinical complete responses (cCRs), 28 partial responses (PRs) and 2 instances of stable disease. Six of the 7 cCRs were operated on, securing pathological complete response in 5 and PR in one. Four of these five and the PR patient still have no evidence of disease (NED). Twenty-one of 30 PR patients were rendered NED by surgery; 14 of these 21 patients succumbed to melanoma, and one is alive with stable disease. Overall, 11 of 37 patients have not succumbed to melanoma, with a median of 72 (14-156) months survival following the last intervention. Of the eight patients with unknown primary melanomas, five have not succumbed to melanoma, with a median of 89 (30-156) months survival following the last intervention. Patients with marginally resectable stage III and IV melanoma have a significant 30% chance, according to this series, for durable remission if treated by a multidisciplinary team in a melanoma center using induction chemobiotherapy and surgery. Results are more favorable for patients with an unknown primary lesion. In view of the currently approved new effective treatments for melanoma, this study may be considered a proof-of-principle investigation, enabling long-term remissions by combining induction therapy and surgery.

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.

Prognostic factors for survival in melanoma patients with brain metastases

BACKGROUND

One of the most common and deadly complications of melanoma is brain metastases. The outcomes of advanced melanoma patients who developed brain metastases were reviewed to identify significant prognostic factors for overall survival (OS).

METHODS

An institutional database of advanced melanoma patients enrolled on clinical trials in the Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology from 1986 to 2004 was reviewed and patients who developed brain metastases were identified. Date of diagnosis, patient age, pattern of brain involvement, timing relative to extracranial metastases, prior response to systemic therapy, and treatments given for brain metastases were assessed as potential prognostic factors for OS.

RESULTS

Among 743 melanoma patients enrolled in clinical trials for regional or systemic metastatic disease, 330 (44%) patients developed brain metastases. The median OS after the diagnosis of brain metastases was 4.7 months. Diagnosis before 1996, increased number of parenchymal brain metastases, leptomeningeal involvement, and development of brain metastases after receiving systemic therapy for extracranial metastases were found to be significant prognostic factors for OS. Among patients who received systemic therapy as the initial treatment of brain metastases, patients who previously responded to systemic therapies had longer survival than patients who had not responded.

CONCLUSIONS

The era, pattern, and timing of melanoma brain metastases were found to be strongly associated with survival. Previous responsiveness to systemic therapies did not predict better outcomes overall, but it did correlate with improved survival for patients with brain metastases who were treated with systemic therapies. These factors may be used in guiding patient management and for stratifying patients in clinical trials.

Immunotherapy for melanoma: current status and perspectives

Immunotherapy is an important modality in the therapy of patients with malignant melanoma. As our knowledge about this disease continues to expand, so does the immunotherapeutic armamentarium. Nevertheless, successful preclinical models do not always translate into clinically meaningful results. The authors give a comprehensive analysis of most recent advances in the immune anti-melanoma therapy, including interleukins, interferons, other cytokines, adoptive immunotherapy, biochemotherapy, as well as the use of different vaccines. We also present the fundamental concepts behind various immune enhancement strategies, passive immunotherapy, as well as the use of immune adjuvants. This review brings into discussion the results of newer and older clinical trials, as well as potential limitations and drawbacks seen with the utilization of various immune therapies in malignant melanoma. Development of novel therapeutic approaches, along with optimization of existing therapies, continues to hold a great promise in the field of melanoma therapy research. Use of anti-CTLA4 and anti-PD1 antibodies, realization of the importance of co-stimulatory signals, which translated into the use of agonist CD40 monoclonal antibodies, as well as activation of innate immunity through enhanced expression of co-stimulatory molecules on the surface of dendritic cells by TLR agonists are only a few items on the list of recent advances in the treatment of melanoma. The need to engineer better immune interactions and to boost positive feedback loops appear crucial for the future of melanoma therapy, which ultimately resides in our understanding of the complexity of immune responses in this disease.

Phase II trial of neoadjuvant temozolomide in resectable melanoma patients

BACKGROUND

We treated melanoma patients with temozolomide (TMZ) in the neoadjuvant setting and collected cryopreserved tumor samples before and after treatment. The primary objective was to determine whether the response proportion was higher than previously reported in widely metastatic patients. A secondary objective was to test the feasibility of obtaining adequate tissue before and after treatment for genetic testing.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Chemotherapy-naive melanoma patients who were candidates for surgical resection were eligible. TMZ was administered orally at 75 mg/m(2)/day for 6 weeks of every 8-week cycle. Cycles were repeated until complete response (CR), progression, or stable disease (SD) for two cycles.

RESULTS

Of 19 assessable patients, 2 had CRs and 1 had partial response. Four patients had SD; 12 progressed. Tumor O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter was unmethylated in all nine patients analyzed including from the two CR patients. Pretreatment tumor microarray results were obtained in 16 of 19 patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The response proportion to TMZ in the neoadjuvant setting was 16%, not different than in the metastatic setting. Responses were seen even in tumors with a methylated MGMT promoter. Pretreatment cryopreserved tumor adequate for microarray analysis could be obtained in most, but not all, patients. Post-treatment tumor was unavailable in complete responders.

Cytoreductive Surgery for Melanoma

Cytoreductive surgery represents a therapeutic attempt to improve patient outcomes by reducing overall tumor burden to render postsurgical therapy effective or at least increase its effectiveness. The intent of cytoreduction differs from palliative or curative-intent surgery for oligometastatic melanoma. Both palliative surgery and attempted curative resection have important roles to play in the management of patients with melanoma that has spread beyond the regional nodes or recurred "in transit" between the primary and the regional nodal basin. To date, however, no evidence shows that cytoreductive surgery offers any meaningful benefit to patients with metastatic melanoma, and, outside of a clinical trial, there is no role for cytoreductive surgery in melanoma. To date, adjuvant vaccine therapy after complete resection of metastatic melanoma has not proved to be efficacious in clinical trials, so there is little reason to believe that the use of currently available immunotherapy strategies will be enhanced after incomplete tumor resections.

Neoadjuvant treatment of regional stage IIIB melanoma with high-dose interferon alfa-2b induces objective tumor regression in association with modulation of tumor infiltrating host cellular immune responses

PURPOSE

Adjuvant high-dose interferon-alfa-2b (HDI) improves disease-free and overall survival in patients with high-risk melanoma. However, its mechanism of action is largely unknown. Therefore, HDI was investigated in the neoadjuvant setting to assess clinical and pathologic responses after 4 weeks of HDI and to perform immunohistochemical evaluation of immune cell subsets and melanoma-associated antigens.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with palpable regional lymph node metastases from melanoma (American Joint Committee on Cancer stage IIIB-C) underwent surgical biopsy at study entry and then received standard intravenous HDI (20 million units/m2, 5 days per week) for 4 weeks followed by complete lymphadenectomy and standard maintenance subcutaneous HDI (10 million units/m2 3 times per week) for 48 weeks. Biopsy samples were obtained before and after intravenous HDI and subjected to immunohistochemical analysis as well as routine pathologic study.

RESULTS

Twenty patients were enrolled, and biopsy samples were informative for 17. Eleven patients (55%) demonstrated objective clinical response, and 3 patients (15%) had complete pathologic response. At a median follow-up of 18.5 months (range, 7 months to 50 months) 10 patients had no evidence of recurrent disease. Clinical responders had significantly greater increases in endotumoral CD11c+ and CD3+ cells and significantly greater decreases in endotumoral CD83+ cells compared with nonresponders. No changes in the expression of melanoma-associated lineage antigens, tumor cell proliferation, angiogenesis, or apoptosis were evident.

CONCLUSION

Neoadjuvant HDI is highly effective for the treatment of palpable stage IIIB-C melanoma, and the findings of this study implicate an indirect immunomodulatory mechanism rather than a direct antitumor mechanism.

Phase II Multicenter Study of Neoadjuvant Biochemotherapy for Patients With Stage III Malignant Melanoma

Purpose

To determine the relapse-free survival, overall survival, and response rate of patients with stage III melanoma treated with neoadjuvant biochemotherapy in a multicenter setting.

Patients and Methods

Patients with pathologically proven stage III melanoma, either via clinical detection or sentinel lymph node positivity, were eligible for enrollment. Patients received two cycles of preoperative biochemotherapy followed by complete regional lymphadenectomy and two postoperative courses of biochemotherapy. The biochemotherapy regimen consisted of the following: cisplatin 20 mg/m2 on days 1 to 4, dacarbazine 800 mg/m2 on day 1 only, vinblastine 1.6 mg/m2 on days 1 to 4, interleukin-2 total dose of 36 MU/m2 during 4 days, and interferon alfa 5 MU/m2 on days 1 to 5. Growth factor support was administered with each cycle.

Results

Ninety-two patients were eligible for the study. At a median follow-up of 40.4 months, relapse-free survival and overall survival are 64% and 78%, respectively. There was a lower relapse rate and improved survival for patients with a positive sentinel lymph node compared with patients with clinically detected lymph nodes, although this difference did not reach statistical significance. Of the 50 patients with measurable disease, the overall response rate was 26%. Toxicity of the biochemotherapy was high but generally manageable.

Conclusion

The current study has expanded the preliminary evidence on neoadjuvant biochemotherapy for stage III melanoma.

Ircinin-1 induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in SK-MEL-2 human melanoma cells

We investigated the effects of ircinin-1, a lipid compound (a C25 sesterterpene tetronic acid) isolated from marine sponges (Sarcotragus sp.), on the modulation of cell cycle and induction of apoptosis in SK-MEL-2 human skin cancer cells (mutant p53). Ircinin-1 treatment on SK-MEL-2 cells resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth and induced apoptotic cell death. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that ircinin-1 resulted in G1 arrest in cell cycle progression which was associated with a marked decrease in the protein expression of D-type cyclins and their activating partners Cdk 4 and 6 with concomitant inductions of p21WAF1/CIP1 and p27KIP1. The induction of p21WAF1/CIP1 appears to be transcriptionally upregulated and is p53-independent. In addition, ircinin-1 suppressed the phosphorylation of pRb protein and increased the co-association of pRb or proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) with p21WAF1/CIP1 in these cells. Ircinin-1 treatment also resulted in induction of apoptosis as determined by morphological changes, DNA fragmentation, alternated ratio of Bax/Bcl-2, cleavages of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and PLC-gamma1, and flow cytometric analysis. Ircinin-1 also induced cytochrome c release, cleavage activations of caspase-3 and -9, and upregulation of Fas and Fas-L. Even though the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) was expressed in ircinin-1-untreated or -treated SK-MEL-2 cells, only the level of cIAP-1, but not XIAP or cIAP-2, was decreased during ircinin-1-induced apoptosis at Western blot and RT-PCR studies. Taken together, these findings suggest that ircinin-1 has strong potential for development as an agent for prevention against skin cancer.

Clinical follow-up of conjunctival malignant melanoma

PURPOSE

To investigate the clinical features and course of conjunctival malignant melanoma in Korea.

METHODS

The medical records of 15 patients, 5 males and 10 females, diagnosed with conjunctival malignant melanoma who had been treated at Severance Hospital from May 1991 to March 2004 were reviewed retrospectively. The clinical parameters of the patients, tumors, and treatment were analyzed for their relation to outcome measures.

RESULTS

The mean age at the time of diagnosis was 53.4 years (+/- 11.7 years). In all cases, the disease was unilateral and all patients had experienced at least one recurrence. Local lymph node metastasis was found in 3 patients (20%) and the mean time to metastasis was 3.5 years. Systemic metastasis was found in 6 patients (40%) and the mean time to metastasis was 9.3 years. There were 5 cases of tumor-related death (33.3%), 4 of which were attributed to systemic metastasis. The Kaplan-Meier estimates of cumulative survival rate were 90% at 30 months and 56.6% at 70 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Although conjunctival malignant melanoma is a rare disease, it is life-threatening and complete tumor excision at an early stage is mandatory, as is additional therapy to prevent local recurrence and systemic metastasis.

Sentinel node biopsy as a tool for accurate staging of eyelid and conjunctival malignancies

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy has emerged as a technique for accurate staging of solid tumors. This technique permits the detection of microscopic metastases in clinically negative regional lymph nodes and may be indicated for malignancies that have a propensity for regional nodal metastasis. With the exception of basal cell carcinoma, almost all malignancies of the eyelid and conjunctiva metastasize to regional lymph nodes as the site of first metastasis. The histologic status of the SLNs has been shown to be the most significant prognostic factor with respect to recurrence and survival in patients with cutaneous melanoma. The indications for and the feasibility of SLN biopsy for eyelid and conjunctival tumors and our experience with this technique are reviewed.

Clinical results using biochemotherapy as a standard of care in advanced melanoma

Phase II studies of biochemotherapy in metastatic melanoma patients have reported response rates of 47-63%. Even though these were highly selected patients, we were intrigued by these promising response rates and began using this regimen as standard care in advanced melanoma patients. We report the results of the first 65 patients with AJCC stage IV melanoma (n = 57) or unresectable stage III (n = 8) melanoma treated with concurrent biochemotherapy at Memorial Hospital. Treatment was repeated every 3 weeks and patients were assessed for antitumour effects after every other cycle. The overall response rate among the 63 patients evaluable for response was 29% (three complete responses, 15 partial responses). The median duration of responses was 3.7 months. The response rate among previously treated and previously untreated patients was 6% and 38%, respectively. The estimated median survival for all patients was 8.5 months; the median survival for previously untreated patients was 9.2 months. Tumour response did not correlate with survival. Our experience, which is a retrospective evaluation, does not provide support for the routine use of biochemotherapy as standard treatment. The low response rate among previously treated patients indicates that biochemotherapy is not useful as second-line therapy.