Adjuvant crizotinib in high-risk uveal melanoma following definitive therapy

Identification and validation of a costimulatory molecule-related signature to predict the prognosis for uveal melanoma patients

Uveal melanoma (UVM) is the most common primary tumor in adult human eyes. Costimulatory molecules (CMs) are important in maintaining T cell biological functions and regulating immune responses. To investigate the role of CMs in UVM and exploit prognostic signature by bioinformatics analysis. This study aimed to identify and validate a CMs associated signature and investigate its role in the progression and prognosis of UVM. The expression profile data of training cohort and validation cohort were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset. 60 CM genes were identified, and 34 genes were associated with prognosis by univariate Cox regression. A prognostic signature was established with six CM genes. Further, high- and low-risk groups were divided by the median, and Kaplan-Meier (K-M) curves indicated that high-risk patients presented a poorer prognosis. We analyzed the correlation of gender, age, stage, and risk score on prognosis by univariate and multivariate regression analysis. We found that risk score was the only risk factor for prognosis. Through the integration of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), it was found that the high-risk group presented more immune cell infiltration and expression of immune checkpoints and obtained higher immune scores. Enrichment analysis of the biological functions of the two groups revealed that the differential parts were mainly related to cell-cell adhesion, regulation of T-cell activation, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. No differences in tumor mutation burden (TMB) were found between the two groups. GNA11 and BAP1 have higher mutation frequencies in high-risk patients. Finally, based on the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer 2 (GDSC2) dataset, drug sensitivity analysis found that high-risk patients may be potential beneficiaries of the treatment of crizotinib or temozolomide. Taken together, our CM-related prognostic signature is a reliable biomarker that may provide ideas for future treatments for the disease.

Stereotactic radiotherapy for uveal melanoma: A case report

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy worldwide. Surgical intervention and radiation therapy (RT) are the primary treatment options. Given the complexity and cosmetic discomfort associated with eye enucleation, this method is less frequently used. As a result, RT, including photon therapy, proton therapy and brachytherapy, has become the treatment of choice. Traditionally, plaque brachytherapy has been the most commonly used in clinical practice. However, the question of which type of radiation therapy is the most effective, safe, commonly available and cost-effective remains open. The present study provided a follow-up analysis of a patient with UM who was treated using the image-guided volumetric modulated arc therapy (IG-VMAT) technique. A complete response without complications and symptom relief were noted one and a half years after treatment. The present findings suggest that photon external beam radiotherapy using the IG-VMAT technique may offer a viable and safe alternative for the management of UM. This approach potentially sidesteps the complex and morbid aspects of surgical intervention and plaque brachytherapy. Owing to the limited sample size, a more robust understanding of the efficacy and safety of this treatment will require the analysis of additional cases. Further research with a larger cohort is essential to validate these preliminary observations.

Updates in the Management of Uveal Melanoma

ABSTRACT

Uveal melanoma (UM), arising from intraocular melanocytes, poses a complex clinical challenge with a substantial risk of distant metastasis, often to the liver. Molecular profiling, encompassing genetic, cytogenetic, gene expression, and immunological subsets, plays a pivotal role in determining prognoses. The evolving landscape includes promising systemic treatments, such as tebentafusp, a novel immune-modulating bispecific fusion protein, and targeted therapies. Combined regional and systemic approaches, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and innovative liver-directed therapy, are also under investigation. Although recent progress has improved outcomes, ongoing research aims to address the unique challenges of UM and develop effective therapies, particularly for HLA-A*02:01-negative patients who represent a significant unmet medical need. This review comprehensively discusses the molecular characteristics of UM, risk stratification methods, and the current and future spectrum of regional and systemic therapeutic modalities.

Current management of uveal melanoma: A review

Uveal melanoma is the most frequent primary intraocular cancer in adulthood and is mostly localised to the choroid. It can be treated using radiation therapy, laser therapy, local resection and enucleation, with the best results achieved by combining these procedures. However, up to half of patients develop metastatic disease. There are no efficacious treatment methods for patients in advanced stage or with metastasis. In recent years, several novel treatment modalities aimed at improving tumour control and reducing adverse events have emerged. This review summarises current clinical treatment methods and new therapeutic perspectives for uveal melanoma.

Advances in the clinical management of uveal melanoma

Melanomas arising in the uveal tract of the eye are a rare form of the disease with a biology and clinical phenotype distinct from their more common cutaneous counterparts. Treatment of primary uveal melanoma with radiotherapy, enucleation or other modalities achieves local control in more than 90% of patients, although 40% or more ultimately develop distant metastases, most commonly in the liver. Until January 2022, no systemic therapy had received regulatory approval for patients with metastatic uveal melanoma, and these patients have historically had a dismal prognosis owing to the limited efficacy of the available treatments. A series of seminal studies over the past two decades have identified highly prevalent early, tumour-initiating oncogenic genomic aberrations, later recurring prognostic alterations and immunological features that characterize uveal melanoma. These advances have driven the development of a number of novel emerging treatments, including tebentafusp, the first systemic therapy to achieve regulatory approval for this disease. In this Review, our multidisciplinary and international group of authors summarize the biology of uveal melanoma, management of primary disease and surveillance strategies to detect recurrent disease, and then focus on the current standard and emerging regional and systemic treatment approaches for metastatic uveal melanoma.

Case report: complete remission with crizotinib in ROS1 fusion-positive sinonasal mucosal melanoma

Introduction

Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) originates from melanocytes. Currently, the main treatment methods, including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, have little effect on the recurrence and metastasis of SNMM. However, targeted therapy may be a breakthrough in treating SNMM.

Methods

A SNMM patient with ROS1 fusion received 250mg Crizotinib capsule (2 times a day, 1 tablet each time) therapy.

Results

The patient achieved partial remission after 4 months of treatment and complete remission after 8 months of treatment.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that crizotinib can be an option to improve overall survival and quality of life of patients with metastatic ROS1-fusion SNMM. We believe that our report will provide insights for the application of crizotini in the treatment of melanoma.