Adjuvant interferon in high-risk melanoma: the AIM HIGH Study--United Kingdom Coordinating Committee on Cancer Research randomized study of adjuvant low-dose extended-duration interferon Alfa-2a in high-risk resected malignant melanoma

Comparison of efficacy and tolerability of adjuvant therapy for resected high-risk stage III-IV cutaneous melanoma: a systemic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis

Background

Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and targeted therapies have been widely used as adjuvant treatment for resected melanoma, the optimal therapy remains controversial. Therefore, we conducted this updated network meta-analysis (NMA) to assess the efficacy and tolerability of adjuvant therapies for cutaneous melanoma.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, and Web of Science were systematically searched for relevant literatures published in the last 30 years. Disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and serious adverse events were considered as the efficacy and tolerability outcomes.

Results

In all, 27 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including 16,709 stage III-IV melanoma patients were enrolled in this NMA. For BRAF wild-type melanoma, our analysis showed that both nivolumab and pembrolizumab demonstrated significantly better DFS and tolerability than ipilimumab (10 mg/kg). Nivolumab, pembrolizumab, ipilimumab (3 mg/kg), and ipilimumab (10 mg/kg) all appeared to be effective in prolonging OS, but no therapy demonstrated significantly better OS than ipilimumab (10 mg/kg). Nivolumab + ipilimumab showed the best DFS, but did not appear to be effective in improving OS and ranked only seventh in tolerability. Vaccines and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor therapies were well tolerated, but all failed to improve the DFS or OS in stage III melanoma patients. In terms of BRAF mutation-positive melanoma, ICIs (nivolumab + ipilimumab, nivolumab, pembrolizumab, ipilimumab; 10 mg/kg) exhibited comparable efficacy to dabrafenib + trametinib, and all these therapies showed significantly better DFS than placebo.

Conclusion

Considering efficacy and tolerability, nivolumab and pembrolizumab seem to be preferable adjuvant therapies for patients with stage III-IV melanoma. For BRAF mutation-positive patients, more RCTs are still required to determine which is better between ICIs and targeted therapy.

European consensus-based interdisciplinary guideline for melanoma. Part 2: Treatment - Update 2022

A unique collaboration of multidisciplinary experts from the European Dermatology Forum (EDF), the European Association of Dermato-Oncology (EADO), and the European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) was formed to make recommendations on cutaneous melanoma diagnosis and treatment, based on the systematic literature reviews and the experts' experience. Cutaneous melanomas are excised with one to 2-cm safety margins. Sentinel lymph node dissection shall be performed as a staging procedure in patients with tumor thickness ≥1.0 mm or ≥0.8 mm with additional histological risk factors, although there is as yet no clear survival benefit for this approach. Therapeutic decisions in stage III/IV patients should be primarily made by an interdisciplinary oncology team ("tumor board"). Adjuvant therapies can be proposed in stage III/completely resected stage IV patients and are primarily anti-PD-1, independent of mutational status, or alternatively dabrafenib plus trametinib for BRAF mutant patients. In distant metastases (stage IV), either resected or not, systemic treatment is always indicated. For first-line treatment particularly in BRAF wild-type patients, immunotherapy with PD-1 antibodies alone or in combination with CTLA-4 antibodies shall be considered. In stage IV melanoma with a BRAF-V600  E/K mutation, first-line therapy with BRAF/MEK inhibitors can be offered as an alternative to immunotherapy. In patients with primary resistance to immunotherapy and harboring a BRAF-V600  E/K mutation, this therapy shall be offered as second-line therapy. Systemic therapy in stage III/IV melanoma is a rapidly changing landscape, and it is likely that these recommendations may change in the near future.

Signal pathways of melanoma and targeted therapy

Melanoma is the most lethal skin cancer that originates from the malignant transformation of melanocytes. Although melanoma has long been regarded as a cancerous malignancy with few therapeutic options, increased biological understanding and unprecedented innovations in therapies targeting mutated driver genes and immune checkpoints have substantially improved the prognosis of patients. However, the low response rate and inevitable occurrence of resistance to currently available targeted therapies have posed the obstacle in the path of melanoma management to obtain further amelioration. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms underlying melanoma pathogenesis more comprehensively, which might lead to more substantial progress in therapeutic approaches and expand clinical options for melanoma therapy. In this review, we firstly make a brief introduction to melanoma epidemiology, clinical subtypes, risk factors, and current therapies. Then, the signal pathways orchestrating melanoma pathogenesis, including genetic mutations, key transcriptional regulators, epigenetic dysregulations, metabolic reprogramming, crucial metastasis-related signals, tumor-promoting inflammatory pathways, and pro-angiogenic factors, have been systemically reviewed and discussed. Subsequently, we outline current progresses in therapies targeting mutated driver genes and immune checkpoints, as well as the mechanisms underlying the treatment resistance. Finally, the prospects and challenges in the development of melanoma therapy, especially immunotherapy and related ongoing clinical trials, are summarized and discussed.

Adjuvant Therapy for Cutaneous Melanoma

This article presents the current data supporting adjuvant therapy for patients with cutaneous melanoma. With the recent development of novel immunotherapy agents as well as targeted therapy, there are strong data to support the use of these therapies in patients at high risk of developing recurrent or metastatic disease.

The Proposition of the Pulmonary Route as an Attractive Drug Delivery Approach of Nano-Based Immune Therapies and Cancer Vaccines to Treat Lung Tumors

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths globally, making it a major health concern. The lung’s permissive rich microenvironment is ideal for supporting outgrowth of disseminated tumors from pre-existing extra-pulmonary malignancies usually resulting in high mortality. Tumors occurring in the lungs are difficult to treat, necessitating the need for the development of advanced treatment modalities against primary tumors and secondary lung metastasis. In this review, we explore the pulmonary route as an attractive drug delivery approach to treat lung tumors. We also discuss the potential of pulmonary delivery of cancer vaccine vectors to induce mucosal immunity capable of preventing the seeding of tumors in the lung.

Comparative efficacy and safety of adjuvant nivolumab versus other treatments in adults with resected melanoma: a systematic literature review and network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies are approved for adjuvant treatment of patients with resected melanoma; however, they have not been compared in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We compared the efficacy and safety of adjuvant nivolumab with other approved treatments using available evidence from RCTs in a Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA).

METHODS

A systematic literature review was conducted through May 2019 to identify relevant RCTs evaluating approved adjuvant treatments. Outcomes of interest included recurrence-free survival (RFS)/disease-free survival (DFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), all-cause grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs), discontinuations, and discontinuations due to AEs. Time-to-event outcomes (RFS/DFS and DMFS) were analyzed both assuming that hazard ratios (HRs) are constant over time and that they vary.

RESULTS

Of 26 identified RCTs, 19 were included in the NMA following a feasibility assessment. Based on HRs for RFS/DFS, the risk of recurrence with nivolumab was similar to that of pembrolizumab and lower than that of ipilimumab 3 mg/kg, ipilimumab 10 mg/kg, or interferon. Risk of recurrence with nivolumab was similar to that of dabrafenib plus trametinib at 12 months, however, was lower beyond 12 months (HR [95% credible interval] at 24 months, 0.46 [0.27-0.78]; at 36 months, 0.28 [0.14-0.59]). Based on HRs for DMFS, the risk of developing distant metastases was lower with nivolumab than with ipilimumab 10 mg/kg or interferon and was similar to dabrafenib plus trametinib.

CONCLUSION

Adjuvant therapy with nivolumab provides an effective treatment option with a promising risk-benefit profile.

Systemic adjuvant therapy for adult patients at high risk for recurrent melanoma: A systematic review

Cutaneous melanoma is typically treated with wide local excision and, when appropriate, a sentinel node biopsy. Many patients are cured with this approach but for patients who have cancers with high risk features there is a significant risk of local and distant relapse and death. Interferon-based adjuvant therapy was recommended in the past but had modest results with significant toxicity. Recently, new therapies (immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies) have been found to be effective in the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma and many of these therapies have been evaluated and found to be effective in the adjuvant treatment of high risk patients with melanoma. This systematic review of adjuvant therapies for cutaneous and mucosal melanoma was conducted for Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) as the basis of a clinical practice guideline to address the question of whether patients with completely resected melanoma should be considered for adjuvant systemic therapy and which adjuvant therapy should be used.

Adjuvant bevacizumab for melanoma patients at high risk of recurrence: survival analysis of the AVAST-M trial

Background

Bevacizumab is a recombinant humanised monoclonal antibody to vascular endothelial growth factor shown to improve survival in advanced solid cancers. We evaluated the role of adjuvant bevacizumab in melanoma patients at high risk of recurrence.

Patients and methods

Patients with resected AJCC stage IIB, IIC and III cutaneous melanoma were randomised to receive either adjuvant bevacizumab (7.5 mg/kg i.v. 3 weekly for 1 year) or standard observation. The primary end point was detection of an 8% difference in 5-year overall survival (OS) rate; secondary end points included disease-free interval (DFI) and distant metastasis-free interval (DMFI). Tumour and blood were analysed for prognostic and predictive markers.

Results

Patients (n=1343) recruited between 2007 and 2012 were predominantly stage III (73%), with median age 56 years (range 18–88 years). With 6.4-year median follow-up, 515 (38%) patients had died [254 (38%) bevacizumab; 261 (39%) observation]; 707 (53%) patients had disease recurrence [336 (50%) bevacizumab, 371 (55%) observation]. OS at 5 years was 64% for both groups [hazard ratio (HR) 0.98; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.82–1.16, P = 0.78). At 5 years, 51% were disease free on bevacizumab versus 45% on observation (HR 0.85; 95% CI 0.74–0.99, P = 0.03), 58% were distant metastasis free on bevacizumab versus 54% on observation (HR 0.91; 95% CI 0.78–1.07, P = 0.25). Forty four percent of 682 melanomas assessed had a BRAF^V600 mutation. In the observation arm, BRAF mutant patients had a trend towards poorer OS compared with BRAF wild-type patients (P = 0.06). BRAF mutation positivity trended towards better OS with bevacizumab (P = 0.21).

Conclusions

Adjuvant bevacizumab after resection of high-risk melanoma improves DFI, but not OS. BRAF mutation status may predict for poorer OS untreated and potential benefit from bevacizumab.

Clinical Trial Information

ISRCTN 81261306; EudraCT Number: 2006-005505-64

European consensus-based interdisciplinary guideline for melanoma. Part 2: Treatment - Update 2019

A unique collaboration of multidisciplinary experts from the European Dermatology Forum, the European Association of Dermato-Oncology and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) was formed to make recommendations on cutaneous melanoma diagnosis and treatment, based on systematic literature reviews and the experts' experience. Cutaneous melanomas are excised with 1- to 2-cm safety margins. Sentinel lymph node dissection shall be performed as a staging procedure in patients with tumour thickness ≥1.0 mm or ≥0.8 mm with additional histological risk factors, although there is as yet no clear survival benefit for this approach. Therapeutic decisions in stage III/IV patients should be primarily made by an interdisciplinary oncology team ("Tumor Board"). Adjuvant therapies in stage III/IV patients are primarily anti-PD-1, independent of mutational status, or dabrafenib plus trametinib for BRAF-mutant patients. In distant metastasis, either resected or not, systemic treatment is indicated. For first-line treatment, particularly in BRAF wild-type patients, immunotherapy with PD-1 antibodies alone or in combination with CTLA-4 antibodies shall be considered. In particular scenarios for patients with stage IV melanoma and a BRAF-V600 E/K mutation, first-line therapy with BRAF/MEK inhibitors can be offered as an alternative to immunotherapy. In patients with primary resistance to immunotherapy and harbouring a BRAF-V600 E/K mutation, this therapy shall be offered in second-line. Systemic therapy in stage III/IV melanoma is a rapidly changing landscape, and it is likely that these recommendations may change in the near future.

Comparative efficacy and safety of dabrafenib in combination with trametinib versus competing adjuvant therapies for high-risk melanoma

Aim To conduct a systematic literature review of high-risk resectable cutaneous melanoma adjuvant therapeutics and compare safety and efficacy. Methods: The systematic literature review included randomized controlled trials investigating: dabrafenib plus trametinib (DAB + TRAM), nivolumab, pembrolizumab, ipilimumab, vemurafenib, chemotherapy and interferons. Outcomes included overall survival (OS), relapse-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival and safety. All outcomes were synthesized using Bayesian network meta-analysis. Results: Across relapse-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival and OS, DAB + TRAM had the lowest estimated hazards of respective events relative to all other treatments (exception relative to nivolumab in OS). Differences were significant relative to placebo, chemotherapy, interferons and ipilimumab. Conclusion: DAB + TRAM has improved efficacy over historical treatment options (ipilimumab, interferons and chemotherapy) and comparable efficacy with other targeted and immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Immunotherapy in melanoma

Immunotherapy has dramatically improved the prognosis for patients with melanoma and has become the cornerstone of treatment for those with advanced disease. The role of immunotherapy continues to expand with multiple new agents approved in the adjuvant as well as metastatic setting, as first-line therapy and beyond. We review the currently approved drugs for the treatment of melanoma, along with clinical trial data, adverse side effects, response assessment and future directions.

Update on adjuvant melanoma therapy

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

We review the results from relevant clinical trials and discuss current strategies in the melanoma adjuvant setting.

RECENT FINDINGS

The favorable therapeutic efficacy and the significant less toxicity of nivolumab compared with ipilimumab, fully substitutes today's approval of ipilimumab, regardless mutation status, whereas in BRAF-mutated patients, dabrafenib and trametinib seem to confirm their high efficacy also in adjuvant setting. The use of interferon is restricted to patients with ulcerated melanoma and countries with no access to the new drugs.

SUMMARY

Systemic adjuvant treatment after complete disease resection in high-risk melanoma patients aims to increase relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). According to the eighth edition of melanoma classification of American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), the prognosis in stage III patients is heterogeneous and depends not only on N (nodal) but also on T (tumor thickness) category criteria. Recent data from randomized, phase-3 clinical trials analyzing the use of adjuvant anti-programmed death-1 and targeted therapies ultimately affect the standard of care and change the landscape of the adjuvant treatment.

Cutaneous Melanoma, Version 2.2019, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Cutaneous melanoma have been significantly revised over the past few years in response to emerging data on immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies and BRAF-targeted therapy. This article summarizes the data and rationale supporting extensive changes to the recommendations for systemic therapy as adjuvant treatment of resected disease and as treatment of unresectable or distant metastatic disease.

An update on the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer consensus statement on tumor immunotherapy for the treatment of cutaneous melanoma: version 2.0

BACKGROUND

Cancer immunotherapy has been firmly established as a standard of care for patients with advanced and metastatic melanoma. Therapeutic outcomes in clinical trials have resulted in the approval of 11 new drugs and/or combination regimens for patients with melanoma. However, prospective data to support evidence-based clinical decisions with respect to the optimal schedule and sequencing of immunotherapy and targeted agents, how best to manage emerging toxicities and when to stop treatment are not yet available.

METHODS

To address this knowledge gap, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Melanoma Task Force developed a process for consensus recommendations for physicians treating patients with melanoma integrating evidence-based data, where available, with best expert consensus opinion. The initial consensus statement was published in 2013, and version 2.0 of this report is an update based on a recent meeting of the Task Force and extensive subsequent discussions on new agents, contemporary peer-reviewed literature and emerging clinical data. The Academy of Medicine (formerly Institute of Medicine) clinical practice guidelines were used as a basis for consensus development with an updated literature search for important studies published between 1992 and 2017 and supplemented, as appropriate, by recommendations from Task Force participants.

RESULTS

The Task Force considered patients with stage II-IV melanoma and here provide consensus recommendations for how they would incorporate the many immunotherapy options into clinical pathways for patients with cutaneous melanoma.

CONCLUSION

These clinical guidleines provide physicians and healthcare providers with consensus recommendations for managing melanoma patients electing treatment with tumor immunotherapy.

Relapse-Free Survival as a Surrogate for Overall Survival in the Evaluation of Stage II-III Melanoma Adjuvant Therapy

Background

We assessed whether relapse-free survival (RFS; time until recurrence/death) is a valid surrogate for overall survival (OS) among resected stage II-III melanoma patients through a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Methods

Individual patient data (IPD) on RFS and OS were collected from 5826 patients enrolled in 11 randomized adjuvant trials comparing interferon (IFN) to observation. In addition, IPD from two studies comparing IFN and vaccination in 989 patients were included. A two-level modeling approach was used for assessing Spearman's patient-level correlation (rho) of RFS and OS and the trial-level coefficient of determination (R²) of the treatment effects on RFS and on OS. The results were validated externally in 13 adjuvant studies without available IPD. We then tested the results on the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) 18071 double-blind trial comparing ipilimumab 10 mg/kg with placebo, which showed a statistically significant impact of the checkpoint inhibitor on RFS and OS. All statistical tests were two-sided.

Results

With a median follow-up of seven years, 12 of 13 trials showed a consistency between the IFN vs No IFN differences regarding RFS (hazard ratio [HR]RFS = 0.88) and OS (HROS = 0.91), but the small trial, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group 2696, was an outlier (HRRFS = 0.72 vs HROS = 1.11). Therefore, even if rho was high, R² was low and could not reliably be estimated. Based on the 12 trials, rho remained high (0.89), and the hazard ratios for RFS and OS were strongly correlated (R² = 0.91). The surrogate threshold effect for RFS was estimated to be 0.77. For the EORTC 18071 trial, the hazard ratio for RFS was 0.75, predicting an effect of ipilimumab on OS. This was subsequently confirmed (HROS = 0.72, 95.1% confidence interval = 0.58 to 0.88, P = .001).

Conclusions

In high-risk stage II-III melanoma, RFS appeared to be a valid surrogate end point for OS for adjuvant randomized studies assessing interferon or a checkpoint inhibitor. In future similar adjuvant studies, a hazard ratio for RFS of 0.77 or less would predict a treatment impact on OS.

An Update on Randomized Clinical Trials in Melanoma

Despite many advances in the treatment of melanoma, it still continues to be a disease that affects many people. Fortunately, there have been a multitude of randomized trials that have refined the treatment of this prevalent disease. From 1975 to 2000, there were 154 prospective randomized trials on the treatment of local, regional, and metastatic melanoma. From 2001 to now, additional randomized trials have focused on the role of surgery, adjuvants to surgery, and treatment of metastatic disease. The results of the practice-changing trials are summarized in this review.

Adjuvant Therapy for Melanoma

Systemic adjuvant therapy for surgically resected cutaneous melanoma that is at high risk for disease recurrence and death targets residual micrometastatic disease which is the source of future local or distant relapse. Interferon-alfa (IFNα) has been the most extensively studied in regimens that varied by dosage, route of administration, formulation, and duration of therapy. Most regimens have demonstrated improvements in relapse-free survival (RFS), while the regimen administered at high dosage (HDI) showed improvements in overall survival (OS) in two out of three RCTs. HDI benefits as measured by the hazard ratios (HR) in E1684 (vs. observation), E1690 (vs. observation), and E1694 (vs. vaccine) trials were estimated at 0.61, 0.78, and 0.67 (RFS) and 0.67, 1.0, and 0.72 (OS) when first reported with lesser estimates on later updates. Pegylated IFNα (peg-IFN) as studied in the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) 18991 trial in patients with stage III melanoma significantly reduced the risk of relapse (HR 0.87) with no impact on OS. More recently (EORTC 18071), ipilimumab at the high dose of 10 mg/kg was shown to significantly improve RFS (HR 0.76) and OS (HR 0.72) of stage III melanoma patients but at a significant cost in terms of immune-related toxicities. Ongoing adjuvant studies are testing ipilimumab at 3 or 10 mg/kg versus HDI (E1609) and the anti-PD-1 antibodies nivolumab (CheckMate 238) and pembrolizumab (KEYNOTE-054 and S1404).

Diagnosis and treatment of melanoma. European consensus-based interdisciplinary guideline - Update 2016

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is potentially the most dangerous form of skin tumour and causes 90% of skin cancer mortality. A unique collaboration of multi-disciplinary experts from the European Dermatology Forum, the European Association of Dermato-Oncology and the European Organisation of Research and Treatment of Cancer was formed to make recommendations on CM diagnosis and treatment, based on systematic literature reviews and the experts' experience. Diagnosis is made clinically using dermoscopy and staging is based upon the AJCC system. CMs are excised with 1-2 cm safety margins. Sentinel lymph node dissection is routinely offered as a staging procedure in patients with tumours >1 mm in thickness, although there is as yet no clear survival benefit for this approach. Interferon-α treatment may be offered to patients with stage II and III melanoma as an adjuvant therapy, as this treatment increases at least the disease-free survival and less clear the overall survival (OS) time. The treatment is however associated with significant toxicity. In distant metastasis, all options of surgical therapy have to be considered thoroughly. In the absence of surgical options, systemic treatment is indicated. For first-line treatment particularly in BRAF wild-type patients, immunotherapy with PD-1 antibodies alone or in combination with CTLA-4 antibodies should be considered. BRAF inhibitors like dabrafenib and vemurafenib in combination with the MEK inhibitors trametinib and cobimetinib for BRAF mutated patients should be offered as first or second line treatment. Therapeutic decisions in stage IV patients should be primarily made by an interdisciplinary oncology team ('Tumour Board').

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.

Stage-specific survival and recurrence in patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma in Europe - a systematic review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Given the increasing incidence in cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) and the recent changes in the treatment landscape, it is important to understand stage-specific overall and recurrence-free survival patterns in Europe. Despite publications such as EUROCARE-5, there is limited information on stage-specific survival for CMM in Europe.

METHOD

We carried out a systematic literature review to provide an up-to-date summary of stage-specific survival and recurrence-free survival patterns in patients with CMM in Europe. Studies were included if they were published in Medline during the past 12 years and included information on stage-specific survival and/or recurrence in CMM.

RESULTS

Of the 8,749 studies identified, 26 studies were included, representing nine countries. Collectively, the studies covered a population of 152,422 patients and included data from 1978 to 2011. Randomized clinical trials and single-center observational studies comprised the most common study designs, including five large registry-based studies. Stage-specific information for survival and recurrence varied: 5-year overall survival: 95%-100% (stage I), 65%-92.8% (stage II), 41%-71% (stage III), and 9%-28% (stage IV); 5-year relapse-free survival was reported less frequently: 56% (stage II), and 28%-44% (stage III). Studies reporting survival by sentinel node (SN) status reported 5-year overall survival as 80%-95% for negative SN (stage I/II) and 35%-75% for positive SN (stage III) status; recurrence-free survival at 5 years: 76%-90% for negative and 35%-58% for positive SN status. Some studies included comparisons of survival by key patient sociodemographic characteristics, suggesting that these have a substantial influence on survival and recurrence estimates.

CONCLUSION

The studies identified in this review show large variations in stage-specific overall and recurrence-free survival by study type and by country. Owing to differing study designs and populations, it is difficult to make detailed comparisons. Large population-based studies that include stage-specific survival and recurrence in Europe are therefore important.

Adjuvant Autologous Melanoma Vaccine for Macroscopic Stage III Disease: Survival, Biomarkers, and Improved Response to CTLA-4 Blockade

Background. There is not yet an agreed adjuvant treatment for melanoma patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer stages III B and C. We report administration of an autologous melanoma vaccine to prevent disease recurrence. Patients and Methods. 126 patients received eight doses of irradiated autologous melanoma cells conjugated to dinitrophenyl and mixed with BCG. Delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) response to unmodified melanoma cells was determined on the vaccine days 5 and 8. Gene expression analysis was performed on 35 tumors from patients with good or poor survival. Results. Median overall survival was 88 months with a 5-year survival of 54%. Patients attaining a strong DTH response had a significantly better (p = 0.0001) 5-year overall survival of 75% compared with 44% in patients without a strong response. Gene expression array linked a 50-gene signature to prognosis, including a cluster of four cancer testis antigens: CTAG2 (NY-ESO-2), MAGEA1, SSX1, and SSX4. Thirty-five patients, who received an autologous vaccine, followed by ipilimumab for progressive disease, had a significantly improved 3-year survival of 46% compared with 19% in nonvaccinated patients treated with ipilimumab alone (p = 0.007). Conclusion. Improved survival in patients attaining a strong DTH and increased response rate with subsequent ipilimumab suggests that the autologous vaccine confers protective immunity.

Adjuvant Therapy of Melanoma

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

Intermittent High-Dose Intravenous Interferon Alfa-2b for Adjuvant Treatment of Stage III Melanoma: Final Analysis of a Randomized Phase III Dermatologic Cooperative Oncology Group Trial

PURPOSE

To evaluate the efficacy, safety, tolerability, and quality of life (QoL) in patients receiving intravenous, intermittent high-dose interferon alfa-2b (IFN-α-2b [iHDI]) compared with standard high-dose IFN-α-2b (HDI).

PATIENT AND METHODS

Patients with stage III resected lymph node or in-transit metastasis from cutaneous malignant melanoma were randomly assigned to receive either a standard HDI regimen or three courses of IFN-α-2b 20 MIU/m(2) administered intravenously 5 days a week for 4 weeks then repeated every 4 months. Distant metastasis-free survival was the primary end point for efficacy analysis. In addition, relapse-free survival, overall survival, safety as determined by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events criteria, and QoL were secondary end points.

RESULTS

Of 649 patients enrolled, 22 patients were excluded from the intent-to-treat analysis. The remaining 627 patients were well balanced between the arms according to sex, age, and stage. After a median follow-up of 55 months, a multivariable Cox model revealed no significant differences for distant metastasis-free survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.21; P = .12) or overall survival (HR, 1.01; P = .85). In contrast, the difference for relapse-free survival was significant (HR, 1.27; P = .03), favoring standard HDI. Early termination of treatment because of adverse events or QoL occurred significantly more often with HDI than with iHDI (26.0% v 14.8%; P < .001).

CONCLUSION

Although the safety and QoL profiles for the intermittent regimen were favorable, no significant difference was observed for survival while the HR for relapse with iHDI was increased. Therefore, an iHDI regimen, as tested here, cannot be recommended as adjuvant treatment for high-risk melanoma.

Novel dendritic cell-based vaccination in late stage melanoma

Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) that play an important role in stimulating an immune response of both CD4(+) T helper cells and CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). As such, DCs have been studied extensively in cancer immunotherapy for their capability to induce a specific anti-tumor response when loaded with tumor antigens. However, when the most relevant antigens of a tumor remain to be identified, alternative approaches are required. Formation of a dentritoma, a fused DC and tumor cells hybrid, is one strategy. Although initial studies of these hybrid cells are promising, several limitations interfere with its clinical and commercial application. Here we present early experience in clinical trials and an alternative approach to manufacturing this DC/tumor cell hybrid for use in the treatment of late stage and metastatic melanoma.

Who benefits most from adjuvant interferon treatment for melanoma?

Metastatic melanoma has a poor prognosis; the median survival for patients with stage IV melanoma ranges from 8 to 18 months after diagnosis. Interferon-α provides significant improvement in disease-free survival at the cost of poor tolerability. Identifying patients who benefit the most may improve the cost:benefit ratio. In addition, no data exist for the role of adjuvant therapy in noncutaneous melanoma. Molecular profiles may help to identify patients who benefit the most from adjuvant interferon therapy. In this review, the American Joint Commission on Cancer 2009 staging criteria and emerging biomarker data to guide adjuvant treatment decisions will be discussed. Several criteria to guide selection of patients are discussed in detail. These include Breslow thickness, number of positive lymph nodes, whether or not the primary lesion has ulcerated, immunologic markers, and cytokine profiles. Substantial progress has been made in deciding which patients benefit from interferon-α adjuvant therapy. Interferon-α is the only agent currently approved for the adjuvant treatment of this deadly disease, despite its side effect profile. More effective drugs with better tolerability are needed.

Long-term outcomes and prognostic factors of high-risk malignant melanoma patients after surgery and adjuvant high-dose interferon treatment: a single-center experience

BACKGROUND

Surgical excision constitutes an important part of the treatment of local advanced malignant melanoma. Due to the high recurrence risk, adjuvant high-dose interferon therapy is still the only therapy used in stage IIB and III high-risk melanoma patients.

METHODS

One hundred two high-risk malignant melanoma patients who received high-dose interferon-α-2b therapy were evaluated retrospectively. The clinicopathological features, survival times, and prognostic factors of the patients were determined.

RESULTS

The median disease-free and overall survival times were 25.2 and 60.8 months, respectively. Our findings revealed that male gender, advanced disease stage, lymph node involvement, lymphatic invasion, the presence of ulceration, and a high Clark level were significant negative prognostic factors.

CONCLUSION

In light of the favorable survival results obtained in this study, high-dose interferon treatment as adjuvant therapy for high-risk melanoma is still an efficient treatment and its possible side effects can be prevented by taking the necessary precautions.

Melanoma adjuvant therapy

Adjuvant therapy targets melanoma micrometastases in patients with surgically resected disease that carry a high risk of death from melanoma recurrence. In this setting, adjuvant therapy provides the greatest opportunity for cure before progression into advanced inoperable stages. In randomized clinical trials, interferon-alfa has been shown to have a significant impact on relapse-free survival and, at high dosage, on overall survival compared with observation (E1684) and the GMK vaccine (E1694). This article reviews melanoma adjuvant therapy along with the ongoing and planned clinical trials.

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.

Melanoma: diagnosis, staging, and treatment. Consensus group recommendations

The incidence of malignant melanoma is increasing worldwide. In Spain, its incidence is increasing faster than any other cancer type, with a 5-year survival rate of about 85%. The impact and characteristics of malignant melanoma in the Spanish population can be ascertained from the national melanoma registry of the Academia Española de Dermatología y Venereología. This review presents consensus group recommendations for the diagnosis, staging and treatment of malignant melanoma in Spain. Incidence and mortality are discussed, as well as evaluation of various prevention and treatment strategies. Prognostic factors, such as BRAF and C-KIT mutations, which are expected to become routine staging procedures over the next few years, are outlined, especially in relation to treatment options. The use of recently approved targeted agents such as ipilimumab, a cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) inhibitor, and vemurafenib, a BRAF inhibitor, in metastatic disease are also discussed.

Management of melanoma

BACKGROUND

Melanoma is a potentially curable cancer, but around 20% of patients will develop disease which is beyond surgical clearance. Rising incidence alongside breakthroughs in understanding the molecular biology of this disease identifying systemic therapies offering survival gains now demand a more proactive, integrated approach to melanoma management.

SOURCES OF DATA

PubMed references relating to aspects of melanoma research and treatment.

AREAS OF AGREEMENT

Rapidly rising incidence throughout the world. Effective surgery as well as new molecular targeted systemic biological agents and immunotherapies necessitating early diagnosis and multidisciplinary therapeutic interventions.

AREAS OF CONTROVERSY

Role of screening and prevention. Benefit of interventions for locoregional melanoma, including role of sentinel lymph node biopsy. Integration and sequencing of treatments for unresectable melanoma.

GROWING POINTS

Molecular determinants of melanoma influencing disease outcome and treatment decisions.

AREAS TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH

Education and training of patient and healthcare professionals. Role of screening, surveillance and follow-up strategies. Biology of melanoma guiding treatment decisions.

Adjuvant bevacizumab in patients with melanoma at high risk of recurrence (AVAST-M): preplanned interim results from a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled phase 3 study

BACKGROUND

Bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets VEGF, has shown restricted activity in patients with advanced melanoma. We aimed to assess the role of bevacizumab as adjuvant treatment for patients with resected melanoma at high risk of recurrence. We report results from the preplanned interim analysis.

METHODS

We did a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled phase 3 trial at 48 centres in the UK between July 18, 2007, and March 29, 2012. Patients aged 16 years or older with American Joint Committee on Cancer stage (AJCC) stage IIB, IIC, and III cutaneous melanoma were randomly allocated (1:1), via a central, computer-based minimisation procedure, to receive intravenous bevacizumab 7.5 mg/kg, every 3 weeks for 1 year, or to observation. Randomisation was stratified by Breslow thickness of the primary tumour, N stage according to AJCC staging criteria, ulceration of the primary tumour, and patient sex. The primary endpoint was overall survival; secondary endpoints included disease-free interval, distant-metastases interval and quality of life. Analysis was by intention-to-treat. This trial is registered as an International Standardised Randomised Controlled Trial, number ISRCTN81261306.

FINDINGS

1343 patients were randomised to either the bevacizumab group (n=671) or the observation group (n=672). Median follow-up was 25 months (IQR 16-37) in the bevacizumab group and 25 months (17-37) in the observation group. At the time of interim analysis, 286 (21%) of 1343 enrolled patients had died: 140 (21%) of 671 patients in the bevacizumab group, and 146 (22%) of 672 patients in the observation group. 134 (96%) of patients in the bevacizumab group died because of melanoma versus 139 (95%) in the observation group. We noted no significant difference in overall survival between treatment groups (hazard ratio [HR] 0.97, 95% CI 0.78-1.22; p=0.76); this finding persisted after adjustment for stratification variables (HR 1.03; 95% CI 0.81-1.29; p=0.83). Median duration of treatment with bevacizumab was 51 weeks (IQR 21-52) and dose intensity was 86% (41-96), showing good tolerability. 180 grade 3 or 4 adverse events were recorded in 101 (15%) of 671 patients in the bevacizumab group, and 36 (5%) of 672 patients in the observation group. Bevacizumab resulted in a higher incidence of grade 3 hypertension than did observation (41 [6%] vs one [<1%]). There was an improvement in disease-free interval for patients in the bevacizumab group compared with those in the observation group (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.70-0.98, p=0.03), but no significant difference between groups for distant-metastasis-free interval (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.73-1.06, p=0.18). No significant differences were noted between treatment groups in the standardised area under the curve for any of the quality-of-life scales over 36 months. Three adverse drug reactions were regarded as both serious and unexpected: one patient had optic neuritis after the first bevacizumab infusion, a second patient had persistent erectile dysfunction, and a third patient died of a haemopericardium after receiving two bevacizumab infusions and was later identified to have had significant predisposing cardiovascular risk factors.

INTERPRETATION

Bevacizumab has promising tolerability. Longer follow-up is needed to identify an effect on the primary endpoint of overall survival at 5 years.

Adjuvant therapy for malignant melanoma

Malignant melanoma is increasing in incidence worldwide, and many patients remain at a significant risk of recurrence following surgical resection. Over the past 30 years, interferon-alpha has been the only agent approved for adjuvant therapy of melanoma. This review summarizes the rationale for adjuvant therapy, and discusses the roles of interferon, immunotherapy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy in the adjuvant setting. New approaches and novel combinations that appear promising for the adjuvant therapy of malignant melanoma are also outlined.

Advances in adjuvant therapy: potential for prognostic and predictive biomarkers

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

Interferon alpha for the adjuvant treatment of melanoma: review of international literature and practical recommendations from an expert panel on the use of interferon

The degree to which interferon (IFN) alpha-2b offers real clinical benefits in the adjuvant therapy of melanoma at high risk of recurrence is a subject of debate. This, together with questions over optimal treatment scheme and concerns over toxicity, has limited its clinical use. On the basis of a review of the literature, an Italian Expert Panel has made practical recommendations for a consistent approach in the use of IFN. Although it is clear that more research into predictive factors to identify patients most likely to benefit from adjuvant IFN therapy is required, IFN remains the only currently available adjuvant option for melanoma. Based on meta-analyses of clinical trials, there is clear evidence that treatment with IFN is beneficial with regard to overall and recurrence-free survival (RFS). As such, IFN should be offered to patients who are at high risk of recurrence. Specific recommendations with regard to disease stage are provided.

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer consensus statement on tumour immunotherapy for the treatment of cutaneous melanoma

Immunotherapy is associated with durable clinical benefit in patients with melanoma. The goal of this article is to provide evidence-based consensus recommendations for the use of immunotherapy in the clinical management of patients with high-risk and advanced-stage melanoma in the USA. To achieve this goal, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer sponsored a panel of melanoma experts--including physicians, nurses, and patient advocates--to develop a consensus for the clinical application of tumour immunotherapy for patients with melanoma. The Institute of Medicine clinical practice guidelines were used as a basis for this consensus development. A systematic literature search was performed for high-impact studies in English between 1992 and 2012 and was supplemented as appropriate by the panel. This consensus report focuses on issues related to patient selection, toxicity management, clinical end points and sequencing or combination of therapy. The literature review and consensus panel voting and discussion were used to generate recommendations for the use of immunotherapy in patients with melanoma, and to assess and rate the strength of the supporting evidence. From the peer-reviewed literature the consensus panel identified a role for interferon-α2b, pegylated-interferon-α2b, interleukin-2 (IL-2) and ipilimumab in the clinical management of melanoma. Expert recommendations for how to incorporate these agents into the therapeutic approach to melanoma are provided in this consensus statement. Tumour immunotherapy is a useful therapeutic strategy in the management of patients with melanoma and evidence-based consensus recommendations for clinical integration are provided and will be updated as warranted.

Comparison of different adjuvant therapies for 9 resectable cancer types

PURPOSE

The objective of this study was to compare the clinical benefit across adjuvant therapies for cancer treatment, including adjuvant imatinib, and to quantify the results using the number-needed-to-treat (NNT) approach.

METHOD

We reviewed studies meeting the following criteria: 1) US and European randomized clinical trial populations consisting of patients with cancer who underwent surgical resection of the primary tumor and were considered cancer free; 2) comparators were either placebo or no treatment; and 3) recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were reported and showed benefit with the experimental treatment. The NNT was calculated as the inverse of the difference in event rate between the study groups in each trial.

RESULTS

We identified 26 adjuvant treatment trials in 9 cancer types. With longer follow-up (3 years vs 1 year), 62.5% of treatments compared with placebo showed a decreased RFS NNT, including imatinib (7 vs 4). The largest relative decrease in RFS NNT over time was 91% (with trastuzumab or cyclophosphamide therapy). Approximately 25% of the treatments resulted in an increase in RFS NNT over time. The RFS NNT for imatinib was lower than that for all other treatments at 3 years of follow-up and lower than that for all but 2 treatments at 1 year. At both year 1 and year 3, the NNT for OS ranged from 6 to 100. Imatinib had an OS NNT of 31 at 3 years.

CONCLUSION

With longer follow-up duration, most adjuvant cancer treatments showed a decreased NNT. Imatinib had one of the lowest NNTs among the adjuvant treatments at 1 and 3 years of follow-up using the RFS data.

Interferon alpha for the adjuvant treatment of cutaneous melanoma

BACKGROUND

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

OBJECTIVES

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

SEARCH METHODS

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

SELECTION CRITERIA

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

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

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

MAIN RESULTS

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

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

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

An update on pegylated IFN-α2b for the adjuvant treatment of melanoma

For patients with localized melanoma, excision of the primary tumor, including lymphadenectomy for nodal metastases, is standard treatment. However, patients with large primary tumors (stage IIB and IIC) or stage III melanoma have a relatively poor prognosis owing to the high risk of recurrence. High-dose IFN-α2b and pegylated IFN-α2b (PEG-IFN-α2b) are the only approved options for adjuvant therapy of stage III melanoma, but the lack of comparative data has led to considerable confusion in choosing between these options. In this article, current evidence regarding the pharmacokinetics, efficacy, safety and tolerability of adjuvant PEG-IFN-α2b in patients with melanoma is reviewed, with frequent reference to and comparisons with data using IFN-α2b. Particular focus is given to the pharmacokinetic differences between IFN-α2b and PEG-IFN-α2b and their implications for the treatment of high-risk patients. In addition, emerging evidence suggests that PEG-IFN-α2b therapy may provide clinically significant overall survival benefit for selected high-risk patients.

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.

Adjuvant treatment of melanoma

Melanomas represent 4% of all malignant tumors of the skin, yet account for 80% of deaths from skin cancer.While in the early stages patients can be successfully treated with surgical resection, metastatic melanoma prognosis is dismal. Several oncogenes have been identified in melanoma as BRAF, NRAS, c-Kit, and GNA11 GNAQ, each capable of activating MAPK pathway that increases cell proliferation and promotes angiogenesis, although NRAS and c-Kit also activate PI3 kinase pathway, including being more commonly BRAF activated oncogene. The treatment of choice for localised primary cutaneous melanoma is surgery plus lymphadenectomy if regional lymph nodes are involved. The justification for treatment in addition to surgery is based on the poor prognosis for high risk melanomas with a relapse index of 50-80%. Patients included in the high risk group should be assessed for adjuvant treatment with high doses of Interferon- α 2b, as it is the only treatment shown to significantly improve disease free and possibly global survival. In the future we will have to analyze all these therapeutic possibilities on specific targets, probably associated with chemotherapy and/or interferon in the adjuvant treatment, if we want to change the natural history of melanomas.

Self-efficacy for coping with cancer in melanoma patients: its association with physical fatigue and depression

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of self-efficacy for coping with cancer (SECC) on physical fatigue and depressive symptoms in melanoma patients, in comparison with objective factors, such as treatment with interferon-alpha (IFN-α) and medical and sociodemographic variables. Current literature shows that psychological distress in melanoma patients is generally moderate, that they experience high quality of life, and that symptoms of depression and fatigue have been mostly associated with adjuvant IFN-α treatment

METHODS

A total of 175 melanoma patients, stages Ib-IIIc with and without low-dose IFN-α therapy, completed surveys on SECC, depression, and fatigue. Two hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to explore the predictive role of objective factors (first step: tumor stage, time since diagnosis, and current IFN-α treatment; second step: age and gender) in conjunction with the subjective factor of SECC (third step) on physical fatigue and depression.

RESULTS

Regression analysis revealed no significant effect of IFN-α treatment upon depression. Current IFN-α treatment was predictive of higher fatigue scores, however. The highest predictive effect by far was obtained for SECC, indicating higher fatigue and depression in patients with lower SECC.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that the treatment with IFN-α is mainly accompanied by physical fatigue in melanoma patients rather than by mood changes. Most notably, the potential influence of increased SECC on reducing both physical fatigue and depression is suggested by the data, indicating the importance of self-efficacy enhancing interventions in the psycho-oncological support of melanoma patients.