Thomas Amatruda

Talimogene Laherparepvec Improves Durable Response Rate in Patients With Advanced Melanoma

PURPOSE Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is a herpes simplex virus type 1-derived oncolytic immunotherapy designed to selectively replicate within tumors and produce granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) to enhance systemic antitumor immune responses. T-VEC was compared with GM-CSF in patients with unresected stage IIIB to IV melanoma in a randomized open-label phase III trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with injectable melanoma that was not surgically resectable were randomly assigned at a two-to-one ratio to intralesional T-VEC or subcutaneous GM-CSF. The primary end point was durable response rate (DRR; objective response lasting continuously ≥ 6 months) per independent assessment. Key secondary end points included overall survival (OS) and overall response rate. RESULTS Among 436 patients randomly assigned, DRR was significantly higher with T-VEC (16.3%; 95% CI, 12.1% to 20.5%) than GM-CSF (2.1%; 95% CI, 0% to 4.5%]; odds ratio, 8.9; P < .001). Overall response rate was also higher in the T-VEC arm (26.4%; 95% CI, 21.4% to 31.5% v 5.7%; 95% CI, 1.9% to 9.5%). Median OS was 23.3 months (95% CI, 19.5 to 29.6 months) with T-VEC and 18.9 months (95% CI, 16.0 to 23.7 months) with GM-CSF (hazard ratio, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.62 to 1.00; P = .051). T-VEC efficacy was most pronounced in patients with stage IIIB, IIIC, or IVM1a disease and in patients with treatment-naive disease. The most common adverse events (AEs) with T-VEC were fatigue, chills, and pyrexia. The only grade 3 or 4 AE occurring in ≥ 2% of T-VEC-treated patients was cellulitis (2.1%). No fatal treatment-related AEs occurred. CONCLUSION T-VEC is the first oncolytic immunotherapy to demonstrate therapeutic benefit against melanoma in a phase III clinical trial. T-VEC was well tolerated and resulted in a higher DRR (P < .001) and longer median OS (P = .051), particularly in untreated patients or those with stage IIIB, IIIC, or IVM1a disease. T-VEC represents a novel potential therapy for patients with metastatic melanoma.

Phase II Clinical Trial of a Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor–Encoding, Second-Generation Oncolytic Herpesvirus in Patients With Unresectable Metastatic Melanoma

PURPOSE Treatment options for metastatic melanoma are limited. We conducted this phase II trial to assess the efficacy of JS1/34.5-/47-/granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in stages IIIc and IV disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS Treatment involved intratumoral injection of up to 4 mL of 10(6) pfu/mL of JS1/34.5-/47-/GM-CSF followed 3 weeks later by up to 4 mL of 10(8) pfu/mL every 2 weeks for up to 24 treatments. Clinical activity (by RECIST [Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors]), survival, and safety parameters were monitored. RESULTS Fifty patients (stages IIIc, n = 10; IVM1a, n = 16; IVM1b, n = 4; IVM1c, n = 20) received a median of six injection sets; 74% of patients had received one or more nonsurgical prior therapies for active disease, including dacarbazine/temozolomide or interleukin-2 (IL-2). Adverse effects were limited primarily to transient flu-like symptoms. The overall response rate by RECIST was 26% (complete response [CR], n = 8; partial response [PR], n = 5), and regression of both injected and distant (including visceral) lesions occurred. Ninety-two percent of the responses had been maintained for 7 to 31 months. Ten additional patients had stable disease (SD) for greater than 3 months, and two additional patients had surgical CR. On an extension protocol, two patients subsequently achieved CR by 24 months (one previously PR, one previously SD), and one achieved surgical CR (previously PR). Overall survival was 58% at 1 year and 52% at 24 months. CONCLUSION The 26% response rate, with durability in both injected and uninjected lesions including visceral sites, together with the survival rates, are evidence of systemic effectiveness. This effectiveness, combined with a limited toxicity profile, warrants additional evaluation of JS1/34.5-/47-/GM-CSF in metastatic melanoma. A US Food and Drug Administration-approved phase III investigation is underway.

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.

OPTiM: A randomized phase III trial of talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) versus subcutaneous (SC) granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) for the treatment (tx) of unresected stage IIIB/C and IV melanoma.

LBA9008 Background: T-VEC is an oncolytic immunotherapy (OI) derived from herpes simplex virus type-1 designed to selectively replicate within tumors and to produce GM-CSF to enhance systemic antitumor immune responses. OPTiM is a randomized, phase III trial of T-VEC or GM-CSF in patients (pts) with unresected melanoma with regional or distant metastases. We report the primary results of the first phase III study of OI. METHODS Key criteria: age ≥18 yrs; ECOG ≤1; unresectable melanoma stage IIIB/C or IV; injectable cutaneous, SC, or nodal lesions; LDH ≤1.5X upper limit of normal; ≤3 visceral lesions (excluding lung), none >3 cm. Pts were randomized 2:1 to intralesional T-VEC (initially ≤ 4 mL x106 pfu/mL then after 3 wks, ≤ 4 mL x108 pfu/mL Q2W) or SC GM-CSF (125 µg/m2qd x 14 days q28d). The primary endpoint was durable response rate (DRR): partial or complete response (CR) continuously for ≥6 mos starting within 12 mos. Responses were per modified WHO by blinded central review. A planned interim analysis of overall survival (OS; key secondary endpoint) was performed. RESULTS 436 pts are in the ITT set: 295 (68%) T-VEC, 141 (32%) GM-CSF. 57% were men; median age was 63 yrs. Stage distribution was: IIIB/C 30%, IVM1a 27%, IVM1b 21%, IVM1c 22%. Objective response rate with T-VEC was 26% (95% CI: 21%, 32%) with 11% CR, and with GM-CSF was 6% (95% CI: 2%, 10%) with 1% CR. DRR for T-VEC was 16% (95% CI: 12%, 21%) and 2% for GM-CSF (95% CI: 0%, 5%), p<0.0001. DRR by stage (T-VEC, GM-CSF) was IIIB/C (33%, 0%), M1a (16%, 2%), M1b (3%, 4%), and M1c (8%, 3%). Interim OS showed a trend in favor of T-VEC; HR 0.79 (95% CI: 0.61, 1.02). Most common adverse events (AEs) with T-VEC were fatigue, chills, and pyrexia. Serious AEs occurred in 26% of T-VEC and 13% of GM-CSF pts. No ≥ grade 3 AE occurred in ≥ 3% of pts in either arm. CONCLUSIONS T-VEC demonstrated both a statistically significant improvement in DRR over GM-CSF in pts with unresectable stage IIIB-IV melanoma and a tolerable safety profile; an interim analysis showed a trend toward improved OS. T-VEC represents a novel potential tx option for melanoma with regional or distant metastases. CLINICAL TRIAL INFORMATION NCT00769704.

Serial Monitoring of Circulating Melanoma Cells During Neoadjuvant Biochemotherapy for Stage III Melanoma: Outcome Prediction in a Multicenter Trial

PURPOSE Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood may be important in assessing tumor progression and treatment response. We hypothesized that quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction using multimarker mRNA assays could detect CTCs and be used as a surrogate predictor of outcome in patients receiving neoadjuvant biochemotherapy (BC) for melanoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS Blood specimens were collected at four sampling points from 63 patients enrolled on a prospective multicenter phase II trial of BC before and after surgical treatment of American Joint Committee on Cancer stage III melanoma. Each specimen was assessed by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for expression of four melanoma-associated markers: melanoma antigen recognized by T cells 1; beta1 --> 4-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase; paired box homeotic gene transcription factor 3; and melanoma antigen gene-A3 family, and the changes of CTCs during treatment and prognostic effect of CTCs after overall treatment on recurrence and survival were investigated. RESULTS At a median postoperative follow-up time of 30.4 months, 44 (70%) patients were clinically disease free. In relapse-free patients, the number of detected markers significantly decreased during preoperative BC (P = .036), during postoperative BC (P = .002), and during overall treatment (P < .0001). Marker detection after overall treatment was associated with significant decreases in relapse-free and overall survival (P < .0001). By multivariate analysis using a Cox proportional-hazards model, the number of markers detected after overall treatment was a significant independent prognostic factor for overall survival (risk ratio, 12.6; 95% CI, 3.16 to 50.5; P = .0003). CONCLUSION Serial monitoring of CTCs in blood may be useful for indicating systemic subclinical disease and predicting outcome of patients receiving neoadjuvant BC for metastatic melanoma.

Microphthalmia Transcription Factor as a Molecular Marker for Circulating Tumor Cell Detection in Blood of Melanoma Patients

PURPOSE: Microphthalmia transcription factor (Mitf), which is important in melanocyte development and melanoma growth, was assessed using real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR assay to investigate its expression as a marker for circulating melanoma cells in blood and determine the correlation with disease stage and survival in melanoma patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: In optimization studies for Mitf, we tested 15 melanoma cell lines, 41 peripheral blood lymphocytes from healthy volunteers, and 21 metastatic melanoma tissues. Blood specimens were procured from 90 patients with stage I (n = 20), stage II (n = 20), stage III (n = 28), and stage IV (n = 22) melanoma. Blood specimens were also obtained at four bleed intervals from 58 patients enrolled in a prospective multicenter trial of biochemotherapy before and after surgical treatment of American Joint Committee on Cancer stage III melanoma. RESULTS: Under the optimized conditions, Mitf was negative in healthy peripheral blood lymphocytes and positive in all melanoma cell lines and 18 (86%) melanoma tissues. In the 90 patients, the rate of Mitf detection was higher with increasing American Joint Committee on Cancer stage (P < 0.0001). In the 58 patients treated with biochemotherapy and surgery, Mitf detection decreased with treatment (P = 0.019). Mitf detection after treatment was associated with a significantly lower relapse-free (P < 0.0001) and overall (P = 0.001) survival and was a significant independent prognostic factor for relapse-free (risk ratio, 5.63; P = 0.0004) and overall (risk ratio, 5.36; P = 0.005) survival. CONCLUSIONS: Mitf detection in blood can indicate subclinical metastatic disease and predict treatment outcome in melanoma patients.

Serial Monitoring of Circulating Tumor Cells Predicts Outcome of Induction Biochemotherapy plus Maintenance Biotherapy for Metastatic Melanoma

Purpose: Molecular biomarkers in blood are promising for assessment of tumor progression and treatment response. We hypothesized that serial monitoring of circulating tumor cells (CTC) with the use of multimarker quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR assays could be a surrogate predictor of outcome for melanoma patients enrolled in a multicenter phase II clinical trial of biochemotherapy (BCT) combined with maintenance biotherapy (mBT). Experimental Design: Blood specimens were collected from 87 patients before and during induction BCT and mBT for stage IV melanoma. Expression of five melanoma-associated CTC biomarkers (MART-1, GalNAc-T, PAX-3, MAGE-A3, and Mitf) was assessed by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR, and correlated with treatment response and disease outcome. Results: The number of positive CTC biomarkers decreased overall during induction BCT (P < 0.0001). CTC biomarker detection after two cycles of BCT was correlated with treatment response (P = 0.005) and overall survival (P = 0.001): an increase in the number of CTC biomarkers was associated with poor response (P = 0.006) and overall survival (P < 0.0001). Multivariate analyses with the use of a Cox proportional hazards model identified the change in CTC biomarkers after two cycles of BCT as an independent prognostic factor for disease progression (risk ratio, 12.6; 95% confidence interval, 4.78-33.4; P < 0.0001) and overall survival (risk ratio, 6.11; 95% confidence interval, 2.37-15.7; P = 0.0005). Conclusion: Serial monitoring of CTC during induction BCT may be useful for predicting therapeutic efficacy and disease outcome in patients receiving BCT and mBT for stage IV melanoma. Clin Cancer Res; 16(8); 2402–8. ©2010 AACR.

Phase II Multicenter Trial of Maintenance Biotherapy After Induction Concurrent Biochemotherapy for Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

PURPOSE Biochemotherapy improves responses in metastatic melanoma, but not overall survival, in randomized trials. We developed a maintenance biotherapy regimen after induction biochemotherapy in an attempt to improve durability of responses and overall survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS One hundred thirty-three chemotherapy-naïve patients with metastatic melanoma without CNS metastases were treated at 10 melanoma centers. The biochemotherapy induction regimen included cisplatin, vinblastine, dacarbazine, decrescendo interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interferon alfa-2b with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) cytokine support. Patients not experiencing disease progression were eligible for maintenance biotherapy with low-dose IL-2 and GM-CSF followed by intermittent pulses of decrescendo IL-2 over 12 months. Patients were observed for response, progression-free survival, toxicity, and overall survival. RESULTS The response rate to induction biochemotherapy was 44% (95% CI, 35% to 52%; complete response, 8%; partial response, 36%; stable disease, 29%). The median number of biochemotherapy cycles was four, and the median number of maintenance biotherapy cycles was five. The median progression-free survival was 9 months, and the median survival was 13.5 months. The 12-month and 24-month survival rates were 57% and 23%, respectively. Twenty percent of patients remain alive (12 without disease), with median follow-up of 30 months (95% CI, 25+ to 45+ months). Thirty-nine percent of patients developed CNS metastases. The median times to CNS progression and death were 8 months and 5 months, respectively. CONCLUSION Maintenance biotherapy after induction biochemotherapy seems to prolong progression-free survival and improve overall survival compared with recent multicenter trials of biochemotherapy or chemotherapy. The regimen should be studied in a randomized clinical trial in patients with advanced metastatic melanoma. CNS progression remains a formidable challenge.

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.

Phase II clinical trial with a second generation, GM-CSF encoding, oncolytic herpesvirus in unresectable metastatic melanoma

9035 Background: OncoVEXGM-CSF is a an oncolytic HSV, encoding GM-CSF . We recently completed a phase II trial involving 50 advanced melanoma patients (stage IIIc and IV) with at least one injection accessible lesion, including by ultrasound. METHODS Patients received a single IT injection of 106 pfu/ml apportioned between 10 or less injectable tumors, followed 3 wks later by 24 or less sequential injections of 108 pfu/ml every 2 wks until clinically significant disease progression, or overall or injectable lesion complete response. Response (RECIST modified to allow progression before response and biopsy of residual masses) and survival were monitored. RESULTS All 50 pts have been enrolled and are evaluable (Stage IIIc, n=10; IV M1a, n=16; IV M1b, n=4; IV M1c, n=20). A median of 6 injections were administered. Adverse effects were limited and generally involved transient flu-like symptoms. Both injected and uninjected regional and distant disease demonstrated response including clearly documented responses at uninjected visceral sites. The overall response rate was 26% (8 CR, 5 PR); 10 responses have been maintained for >6 months and 2 are ongoing at <6months, the longest currently being at 35 months from first dose. 93% of patients (14 of 15) with PR, CR or surgical CR remain alive. Ten additional patients had SD for >3 months. Kaplan Meier one year survival is 61% overall, 58% stage IV only, 48% for Stage IV M1c. The median OS is 16+ months. CONCLUSIONS The 1-year survival and durable objective response rate are encouraging. Responses of distant and visceral disease provide further compelling evidence of systemic effectiveness. This, combined with a limited toxicity profile, suggests OncoVEXGM-CSF is a promising treatment for metastatic melanoma. A phase III clinical trial is planned. [Table: see text].