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Item does not contain fulltext BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies have dramatically improved outcomes in patients with advanced melanoma, but approximately half these patients will not have a durable benefit. Phase 1-2 trials of adoptive cell therapy with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have shown promising responses, but data from phase 3 trials are lacking to determine the role of TILs in treating advanced melanoma. METHODS: In this phase 3, multicenter, open-label trial, we randomly assigned patients with unresectable stage IIIC or IV melanoma in a 1:1 ratio to receive TIL or anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 therapy (ipilimumab at 3 mg per kilogram of body weight). Infusion of at least 5×10(9) TILs was preceded by nonmyeloablative, lymphodepleting chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide plus fludarabine) and followed by high-dose interleukin-2. The primary end point was progression-free survival. RESULTS: A total of 168 patients (86% with disease refractory to anti-programmed death 1 treatment) were assigned to receive TILs (84 patients) or ipilimumab (84 patients). In the intention-to-treat population, median progression-free survival was 7.2 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.2 to 13.1) in the TIL group and 3.1 months (95% CI, 3.0 to 4.3) in the ipilimumab group (hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.72; P

Purpose:Sabatolimab (MBG453) and spartalizumab are mAbs that bind T-cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain-3 (TIM-3) and programmed death-1 (PD-1), respectively. This phase I/II study evaluated the safety and efficacy of sabatolimab, with or without spartalizumab, in patients with advanced solid tumors.Patients and Methods:Primary objectives of the phase I/Ib part were to characterize the safety and estimate recommended phase II dose (RP2D) for future studies. Dose escalation was guided by a Bayesian (hierarchical) logistic regression model. Sabatolimab was administered intravenously, 20 to 1,200 mg, every 2 or 4 weeks (Q2W or Q4W). Spartalizumab was administered intravenously, 80 to 400 mg, Q2W or Q4W.Results:Enrolled patients (n = 219) had a range of cancers, most commonly ovarian (17%) and colorectal cancer (7%); patients received sabatolimab (n = 133) or sabatolimab plus spartalizumab (n = 86). The MTD was not reached. The most common adverse event suspected to be treatment-related was fatigue (9%, sabatolimab; 15%, combination). No responses were seen with sabatolimab. Five patients receiving combination treatment had partial responses (6%; lasting 12–27 months) in colorectal cancer (n = 2), non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), malignant perianal melanoma, and SCLC. Of the five, two patients had elevated expression of immune markers in baseline biopsies; another three had >10% TIM-3–positive staining, including one patient with NSCLC who received prior PD-1 therapy.Conclusions:Sabatolimab plus spartalizumab was well tolerated and showed preliminary signs of antitumor activity. The RP2D for sabatolimab was selected as 800 mg Q4W (alternatively Q3W or Q2W schedules, based on modeling), with or without 400 mg spartalizumab Q4W.

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BackgroundDuring and after systemic therapy, patients with high risk and advanced melanoma experience challenges regarding cancer-related symptoms, treatment-related adverse events, and an impact of these symptoms on their physical and psychosocial well-being. Few studies have investigated the specific needs of these patients and the potential role of eHealth applications in meeting those needs.ObjectiveTo explore the supportive care and information needs of high risk and advanced melanoma patients, and how these needs can be supported by eHealth applications.MethodsIn this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews with high risk and advanced melanoma patients during or after systemic treatment were conducted to understand their needs and requirements as possible end-users of mobile eHealth applications. Interview transcripts were independently coded and thematically analyzed.ResultsThirteen participants consented to be interviewed, aged 31 to 71 years. Nearly all patients (n = 12, 92%) experienced unmet information and supportive care needs during and after active treatment. Patients expected to value eHealth applications that facilitate information gathering, wellbeing interventions, and symptom management. The majority of patients (n = 10, 77%) anticipated various advantages from using an eHealth application, including increased autonomy, higher quality of life, and improved disease self-management.DiscussionHigh risk and advanced melanoma patients have unmet supportive care and information needs during and after systemic treatment. The use of eHealth applications might be an effective way to meet these unmet needs. Patients anticipate a variety of advantages from using these applications, including deriving various benefits from the use of these applications, such as enhanced autonomy.

The clinical benefit of treatment with BRAF- and MEK-inhibitors in melanoma is limited due to resistance associated with emerging secondary mutations. Preclinical and clinical studies have shown that short-term treatment with the HDAC inhibitor vorinostat can eliminate cells harboring these secondary mutations causing resistance. This proof of concept study is to determine the efficacy of sequential treatment with vorinostat and BRAFi/MEKi in resistant BRAFV600E mutant melanoma. The primary aim is demonstrating anti-tumor response of progressive lesions according to RECIST 1.1. Secondary end points are to determine that emerging resistant clones with a secondary mutation in the MAPK pathway can be detected in circulating tumor DNA and purged by short-term vorinostat treatment. Exploratory end points include pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and pharmacogenetic analyses (NCT02836548).

As a subset of advanced melanoma patients derive long-term benefit from anti-PD-1 therapy, early identification of non-responsiveness would enable an early switch to next line therapies. This study assessed if an early increase in S100B or lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) could be predictive for non-responsiveness to anti-PD-1. We retrospectively analysed advanced melanoma patients treated with anti-PD-1 monotherapy. Serum S100B and LDH levels were measured at baseline and before every infusion. Non-response was defined as progression or death at 6 months. Marker cut-offs were defined based on 95% specificity and feasibility in clinical practice. For validation an independent cohort was analysed. In total, 313 patients were included (166 patients in training cohort, 147 patients in validation cohort). Increase of 50% in LDH or 100% in S100B above upper limit of normal at week 6 compared to baseline was determined as criterion to positively test for non-responsiveness. In the validation cohort, obtained specificity of the combination test was 95% with a positive predictive value of 82%; obtained sensitivity was lower (21%), with a negative predictive value of 55%. Early increase in S100B or LDH is a strong parameter for non-responsiveness to anti-PD-1 in advanced melanoma. Prospective confirmation is needed before clinical implementation.

Treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has evolved rapidly since the development of checkpoint inhibitors. Most of the studies have been conducted in patients with metastatic disease and led to a significant change in the treatment landscape. Currently, many studies are investigating immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant setting and the efficacy of combination therapies. It remains difficult to predict which patients will respond best. Consequently, there is a high need for predictive biomarkers. In this review, we discuss the different studies with ICI in RCC and the molecular correlates with clinical outcome.

The efficacy of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer ( TNBC ) is low1–5, highlighting a need for strategies that render the tumor microenvironment more sensitive to PD-1 blockade. Preclinical research has suggested immunomodulatory properties for chemotherapy and irradiation6–13. In the first stage of this adaptive, non-comparative phase 2 trial, 67 patients with metastatic TNBC were randomized to nivolumab (1) without induction or with 2-week low-dose induction, or with (2) irradiation (3 × 8 Gy), (3) cyclophosphamide, (4) cisplatin or (5) doxorubicin, all followed by nivolumab. In the overall cohort, the objective response rate (ORR; iRECIST14) was 20%. The majority of responses were observed in the cisplatin (ORR 23%) and doxorubicin (ORR 35%) cohorts. After doxorubicin and cisplatin induction, we detected an upregulation of immune-related genes involved in PD-1–PD-L1 (programmed death ligand 1) and T cell cytotoxicity pathways. This was further supported by enrichment among upregulated genes related to inflammation, JAK–STAT and TNF-α signaling after doxorubicin. Together, the clinical and translational data of this study indicate that short-term doxorubicin and cisplatin may induce a more favorable tumor microenvironment and increase the likelihood of response to PD-1 blockade in TNBC. These data warrant confirmation in TNBC and exploration of induction treatments prior to PD-1 blockade in other cancer types. A pick-the-winner clinical trial design in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer shows that immune induction with doxorubicin or cisplatin may improve clinical responses to PD-1 blockade and induce a more favorable tumor microenvironment.

Purpose:Sabatolimab (MBG453) and spartalizumab are mAbs that bind T-cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain-3 (TIM-3) and programmed death-1 (PD-1), respectively. This phase I/II study evaluated the safety and efficacy of sabatolimab, with or without spartalizumab, in patients with advanced solid tumors.Patients and Methods:Primary objectives of the phase I/Ib part were to characterize the safety and estimate recommended phase II dose (RP2D) for future studies. Dose escalation was guided by a Bayesian (hierarchical) logistic regression model. Sabatolimab was administered intravenously, 20 to 1,200 mg, every 2 or 4 weeks (Q2W or Q4W). Spartalizumab was administered intravenously, 80 to 400 mg, Q2W or Q4W.Results:Enrolled patients (n = 219) had a range of cancers, most commonly ovarian (17%) and colorectal cancer (7%); patients received sabatolimab (n = 133) or sabatolimab plus spartalizumab (n = 86). The MTD was not reached. The most common adverse event suspected to be treatment-related was fatigue (9%, sabatolimab; 15%, combination). No responses were seen with sabatolimab. Five patients receiving combination treatment had partial responses (6%; lasting 12–27 months) in colorectal cancer (n = 2), non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), malignant perianal melanoma, and SCLC. Of the five, two patients had elevated expression of immune markers in baseline biopsies; another three had >10% TIM-3–positive staining, including one patient with NSCLC who received prior PD-1 therapy.Conclusions:Sabatolimab plus spartalizumab was well tolerated and showed preliminary signs of antitumor activity. The RP2D for sabatolimab was selected as 800 mg Q4W (alternatively Q3W or Q2W schedules, based on modeling), with or without 400 mg spartalizumab Q4W.

Objective: To evaluate the potency of short-term neoadjuvant cytoreductive therapy with dabrafenib plus trametinib (BRAF and MEK inhibitor) to allow for radical surgical resection in patients with unresectable locally advanced melanoma. Summary Background Data: Approximately 5% of stage III melanoma patients presents with unresectable locally advanced disease, making standard of care with resection followed by adjuvant systemic therapy impossible. Although neoadjuvant targeted therapy has shown promising results in resectable stage III melanoma, its potency to enable surgical resection in patients with primarily unresectable locally advanced stage III melanoma is still unclear. Methods: In this prospective, single-arm, phase II trial, patients with unresectable BRAF-mutated locally advanced stage IIIC or oligometastatic stage IV melanoma were included. After 8 weeks of treatment with dabrafenib and trametinib, evaluation by positron emission tomography/computed tomography and physical examination were used to assess sufficient downsizing of the tumor to enable resection. The primary objective was the percentage of patients who achieved a radical (R0) resection. Results: Between August 2014 and March 2019, 21 patients (20/21 stage IIIC American Joint Committee on Cancer staging manual 7th edition) were included. Planned inclusion of 25 patients was not reached due to slow accrual and changing treatment landscape. Despite this, the predefined endpoint was successfully met. In 18/21 (86%) patients a resection was performed, of which 17 were R0 resections. At a median follow-up of 50 months (interquartile range 37.7-57.1 months), median recurrence-free survival was 9.9 months (95% confidence interval 7.52-not reached) in patients undergoing surgery. Conclusions: This prospective, single-arm, open-label phase II trial, shows neoadjuvant dabrafenib plus trametinib as a potent cytoreductive treatment, allowing radical resection of metastases in 17/21 (81%) patients with prior unresectable locally advanced melanoma.

TPS9607 Background: The prognosis of patients with melanoma is significantly correlated with disease stage and has greatly improved with the introduction of the currently approved therapies. Trials investigating neo-adjuvant treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have shown high pathologic response rates up to 25-80%, however, still a large group of patients derive no (durable) clinical benefit. Treatment with talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC), a modified herpes simplex virus type-1, is approved for patients with unresectable stage IIIB-IVM1a melanoma, with high and durable response rates and a mild toxicity profile. Earlier trials have suggested that T-VEC has the capacity to heighten the immune response and to elicit an abscopal effect in melanoma when given in combination with ICI. Combination ICI and intralesional T-VEC has already been investigated in patients with unresectable stage IIIB-IV disease, however, no data is available yet on the potential benefit of this combination therapy in neo-adjuvant setting. This is the first trial investigating the efficacy and safety of neo-adjuvant treatment of T-VEC in combination with nivolumab (anti-PD-1 antibody), followed by surgical resection in patients with resectable stage IIIB-IVM1a melanoma, with the potential of high pathologic response rates and acceptable toxicity. Methods: In this single center, single arm, phase II study, a total of 24 patients ≥18 years of age and a good clinical performance score with treatment naïve, stage IIIB-IVM1a melanoma (AJCC 8th edition) with injectable disease and resectable (sub)cutaneous satellite or in-transit metastases and/or tumor positive lymph nodes, will be included. Patients will receive four courses of T-VEC up to 4mL (first dose as seroconversion dose) and three doses of nivolumab (240mg flatdose) every two weeks, followed by surgical resection in week nine. The primary endpoint of this trial is pathologic response rate, with the aim to show a high major pathologic (near-complete or complete) response rate up to 45%. Secondary endpoints are safety according to CTCAE v5.0, the rate of delay of surgery and event free survival. Additionally, prognostic and predictive biomarker research and health-related quality of life evaluation will be performed. Enrollment started in June 2020 in the Netherlands Cancer Institute, with currently 13 of the 24 planned patients treated. Clinical trial information: NCT04330430.

Simple Summary Melanoma is a malignant form of skin cancer. The overall survival of patients with advanced stages of disease were initially low. Fortunately, in recent years systemic treatment with immunotherapy has prolonged survival. We set out to answer the question whether men and women with advanced melanoma differ in prognostic factors, tumor-response to immunotherapy, and treatment-related adverse events. All patients in the Netherlands were registered between July 2013 and July 2018. We showed that although clinical and tumor characteristics differ, the safety profile of immunotherapy is comparable. Furthermore, overall, a 10% survival advantage for women was seen. Following immunotherapy there was no survival difference. Abstract Recent meta-analyses show conflicting data on sex-dependent benefit following systemic treatment for advanced melanoma patients. We examined the nationwide Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry (July 2013–July 2018), assessing sex-dependent differences in advanced melanoma patients (stage IIIC/IV) with respect to clinical characteristics, mutational profiles, treatments initiated, grade 3–4 adverse events (AEs), treatment responses, and mortality. We included 3985 patients, 2363 men (59%) and showed that although men and women with advanced melanoma differ in clinical and tumor characteristics, the safety profile of immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) is comparable. The data suggest a 10% survival advantage for women, mainly seen in patients ≥60 years of age and patients with BRAF V600 mutant melanoma. Following ICI there was no survival difference.

BackgroundWe previously reported that dendritic cell-based mRNA vaccination plus ipilimumab (TriMixDC-MEL IPI) results in an encouraging rate of tumor responses in patients with pretreated advanced melanoma. Here, we report the TriMixDC-MEL IPI-induced T-cell responses detected in the peripheral blood.MethodsMonocyte-derived dendritic cells electroporated with mRNA encoding CD70, CD40 ligand, and constitutively active TLR4 (TriMix) as well as the tumor-associated antigens tyrosinase, gp100, MAGE-A3, or MAGE-C2 were administered together with IPI for four cycles. For 18/39 patients, an additional vaccine was administered before the first IPI administration. We evaluated tumor-associated antigen specific T-cell responses in previously collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells, available from 15 patients.ResultsVaccine-induced enzyme-linked immunospot assay responses detected after in vitro T-cell stimulation were shown in 12/15 patients. Immune responses detected in patients with a complete or partial response were significantly stronger and broader, and exhibited a higher degree of multifunctionality compared with responses in patients with stable or progressive disease. CD8+ T-cell responses from patients with an ongoing clinical response, either elicited by TriMixDC-MEL IPI or on subsequent pembrolizumab treatment, exhibited the highest degree of multifunctionality.ConclusionsTriMixDC-MEL IPI treatment results in robust CD8+ T-cell responses in a meaningful portion of stage III or IV melanoma patients, and obviously in patients with a clinical response. The levels of polyfunctional and multiantigen T-cell responses measured in patients with a complete response, particularly in patients evidently cured after 5+ years of follow-up, may provide a benchmark for the level of immune stimulation needed to achieve a durable clinical remission.Trial registration numberNCT01302496.

The clinical benefit of treatment with BRAF- and MEK-inhibitors in melanoma is limited due to resistance associated with emerging secondary mutations. Preclinical and clinical studies have shown that short-term treatment with the HDAC inhibitor vorinostat can eliminate cells harboring these secondary mutations causing resistance. This proof of concept study is to determine the efficacy of sequential treatment with vorinostat and BRAFi/MEKi in resistant

For many cancer types, the immune system plays an essential role in their development and growth. Based on these rather novel insights, immunotherapeutic strategies have been developed. In the past decade, immune checkpoint blockade has demonstrated a major breakthrough in cancer treatment and has currently been approved for the treatment of multiple tumor types. Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) or gene-modified T cells expressing novel T cell receptors (TCR) or chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) is another strategy to modify the immune system to recognize tumor cells and thus carry out an anti-tumor effector function. These treatments have shown promising results in various tumor types, and multiple clinical trials are being conducted worldwide to further optimize this treatment modality. Most successful results were obtained in hematological malignancies with the use of CD19-directed CAR T cell therapy and already led to the commercial approval by the FDA. This review provides an overview of the developments in ACT, the associated toxicity, and the future potential of ACT in cancer treatment.

Small fragments of cell-free DNA that are shed by normal and tumor cells can be detected in the plasma of patients with advanced melanoma. Quantitative measurement of BRAF V600 mutant DNA within the cell-free DNA holds promise as a tumor-specific biomarker for diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring in patients with BRAF V600 mutant melanoma. Allele-specific quantitative PCR analysis for BRAF V600 E/E2/D/K/R/M mutations on DNA extracted from 1 ml of plasma is currently under evaluation in a number of ongoing prospective clinical studies. We report five patient cases that indicate the potential applications and utility of quantitative measurements of BRAF V600 mutant cell-free tumor DNA as a diagnostic test and as a therapeutic monitoring tool in stage IV melanoma patients treated with BRAF-targeted therapy or immunotherapy. Finally, we offer novel insights into the dynamics of cell-free tumor DNA in melanoma.

e17083 Background: Following CARMENA and SURTIME, upfront cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) is no longer standard of care. Intermediate and poor risk patients (pts) receive systemic therapy with the PT in place with the option to perform deferred CN in responding pts. This practice has been adopted after the recent shift to immune checkpoint inhibitor combination in frontline for mRCC. We assessed the safety and efficacy of this approach in a real-world population. Methods: A retrospective analysis of a clinical audit from 3 institutional datasets of pts treated with first-line N+I and the PT in place. Pts and tumour characteristics, International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium (IMDC) risk, overall response rate (ORR) in the PT and metastatic sites, time to response (TTR) of the PT, PT- and immune related- (ir) adverse events (AE), deferred CN rate, progression free- (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed. Results: Of 41 pts treated with N+I and the PT in place, 46.3% were IMDC poor risk and 51.2% had > 3 metastatic sites. After a median follow-up of 5.9 (2-10.3) months, 29 had at least 1 CT scan from baseline. Of those, 7 (24.3% [95% confidence interval [CI] 0.10-0.43]) had a partial response (PR) of the PT with a median TTR of 5.3 (2.5-8.6) months. Mean and median PT reduction were 16.9% (+7.6 to -70.3%) and 10% from a baseline mean tumour size of 9.5 (3.8-16.1) cm. Pts with a PT reduction > median (n = 14) had a PR at metastatic sites in 86% (CI 0.57-0.98) and no progressive disease (PD). Pts with PT reduction < median (n = 14) had PR in only 21% and PD at metastatic sites in 57% (CI 0.28-0.82). None of the PT progressed. There was no complete response (CR) at metastatic sites . No CN was performed; 5 pts (12%) developed hematuria grade 1-3, requiring embolisation in 2 (4.9%). Grade 3-4 irAE were observed in 22% of pts. Median PFS and OS are 8.6 months and not reached. Conclusions: N+I with the PT in place is safe and PT reduction is associated with response at metastatic sites. Most PT responded by 6 months. No CR at metastatic sites were observed (compared to a 9% CR rate in the pivotal trial) in this real-world population with a relatively high percentage of poor-risk pts. Furthermore, no deferred CN has been performed, neither for near-CR at metastatic sites nor for PT symptoms.

10021 Background: Continuous combination of MAPK inhibition (MAPKi) and anti-PD-(L)1 has been investigated by several trials to improve outcome of BRAFV600 mutated melanoma patients. A major obstacle for continuous combination is the high frequency (~60%) of grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAE) for which many patients need to discontinue (~40%). In a preclinical model we showed that short‐time MAPKi induces T cell infiltration and is synergistic with anti-PD‐1. In patients T cell infiltration increased after short-term MAPKi, while after > 2 weeks this was often diminished. The aim of this phase 2b study was to identify the optimal duration of MAPKi with dabrafenib (BRAFi) + trametinib (MEKi) in combination with pembrolizumab (anti-PD-1) in terms of safety, feasibility and immune-activating capacity. Methods: Treatment-naïve BRAFV600E/K mutant advanced melanoma patients started pembrolizumab (PEM) 200mg Q3W and were randomized in week 6 to continue PEM only (cohort 1) or to receive in addition intermittent dabrafenib (D) 150 mg BID + trametinib (T) 2mg QD for 2 x 1 week (cohort 2), 2 x 2 weeks (cohort 3), or continuous for 6 weeks (cohort 4). All cohorts continued PEM for up to 2 years. Primary endpoints were safety and treatment-adherence. Secondary endpoints were objective response rate (ORR, RECIST 1.1) at week 6, 12, 18 compared to baseline and PFS. Results: Between June 2016 and August 2018, 32 patients have been included; 56% were male, 50% had M1c disease and the majority had a BRAFV600E mutation (81%) and a baseline LDH level > ULN (87%). Grade 3-4 TRAE were observed in 12%, 12%, 50%, and 62% of patients in cohort 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. All planned D+T was given in 88%, 63%, and 38% of patients in cohort 2, 3, and 4. Most patients needed to interrupt or discontinue D+T due to fever or elevated liver enzymes. ORR at week 6, week 12, and week 18 were 38%, 62%, and 62% in cohort 1, 25%, 62%, and 75% in cohort 2, 25%, 50%, and 75% in cohort 3 and 0%, 62%, and 50% in cohort 4. After a median follow-up of 17.4 months, the median PFS of patients treated with PEM monotherapy was 10.6 months compared to 27.0 months for patients treated with PEM and short-term/intermittent D+T (p = 0.13). Conclusions: Combination of PEM plus intermittent D+T seems more feasible and tolerable than continuous triple therapy. Intermittent short-time combination therapy might be equally effective, enables therapy with MAPKi as a second line, and therefore warrants further investigation in a larger patient cohort. Clinical trial information: NCT02625337.

Background MBG453 and spartalizumab are humanized IgG4 mAbs that block binding of TIM-3 to PtdSer and PD-1 to PD-L1/2, respectively. In Ph I dose escalation, MBG453 + spartalizumab showed preliminary antitumor activity in advanced solid tumors. Here we report Ph II MBG453 + spartalizumab dose expansion in pts with NSCLC and melanoma (NCT02608268). Methods Pts with melanoma or NSCLC who had progressive disease (PD) on/after anti–PD-1/L1 therapy received MBG453 (800 mg, Q4W) + spartalizumab (400 mg, Q4W) until unacceptable toxicity, PD, or investigator/pt decision. On prior anti–PD-1/L1 therapy clinical benefit (CB) was defined as durable (DCB) if pts had a complete or partial response, or stable disease (SD) for ≥6 months, or non-durable (NDCB) if pts had SD for Results As of Feb 15, 2019, 33 pts received MBG453 + spartalizumab (melanoma: n = 16; NSCLC: n = 17); 5 (15.2%) pts were ongoing (melanoma: n = 3 [18.8%]; NSCLC: n = 2 [11.8%]); 28 (84.8%) pts discontinued, mainly due to PD (60.6%) and death due to underlying disease (12.1%). Anti–PD-1/L1 was the last therapy before enrollment in 21 (63.6%) pts (melanoma: n = 10 [62.5%]; NSCLC: n = 11 [64.7%]). On prior anti–PD-1/L1 therapy, 6 (37.5%) melanoma and 7 (41.2%) NSCLC pts had DCB and 10 (62.5%) melanoma and 9 (52.9%) NSCLC pts had NDCB; CB was unknown (UNK) in 1 NSCLC pt. On MBG453 + spartalizumab, 3/16 (18.8%) melanoma pts (prior anti-PD-1/L1: DCB n = 2; NDCB n = 1) and 7/17 (41.2%) NSCLC pts (prior anti-PD-1/L1: DCB n = 3; NDCB n = 3; UNK n = 1) had SD per RECIST 1.1. Baseline tumor PD-L1 appears higher in pts with SD vs PD. Data suggest a trend of inverse association between tumor reduction and CD163 tumor expression. Common treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were fatigue, nausea, and pruritus (n = 3 each [9.1%]); 0 melanoma and 2 (11.8%) NSCLC pts (pruritus, amylase, lipase, and increased ALT) had Grade 3/4 TRAEs. Conclusions MBG453 (800 mg, Q4W) + spartalizumab (400 mg, Q4W) was well tolerated but with limited efficacy in pts with melanoma and NSCLC who had PD on/after prior anti–PD-1/L1 therapy. Further evaluation of MBG453 in other indications/combinations is needed to assess the clinical relevance of TIM-3 inhibition. Editorial acknowledgement Jenny Winstanley, PhD, of Articulate Science Ltd. Legal entity responsible for the study Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Funding Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Disclosure G. Curigliano: Honoraria (self), Advisory Board: Novartis; Honoraria (self), Advisory Board: Roche; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Expert talk: Pfizer; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Expert talk: Eli Lilly; Advisory / Consultancy, Scientific consultation: Ellipsis. A. Santoro: Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Takeda; Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: BMS; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Roche; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: AbbVie; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Amgen; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Celgene; Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Servier; Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Gilead; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: AstraZencea; Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Pfizer; Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Arquile; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Lilly; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Sandoz; Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Eisai; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Novartis; Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Bayer; Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: MSD. D. Kim: Research grant / Funding (institution): Alpha Biopharm; Research grant / Funding (institution): AstraZeneca/MedImmune; Research grant / Funding (institution): Hanmi; Research grant / Funding (institution): Janssen; Research grant / Funding (institution): Merus; Research grant / Funding (institution): Mirati Therapeutics; Research grant / Funding (institution): MSD; Research grant / Funding (institution): Novartis; Research grant / Funding (institution): ONO Pharmaceutical; Research grant / Funding (institution): Pfizer; Research grant / Funding (institution): Roche/Genentech; Research grant / Funding (institution): Takeda; Research grant / Funding (institution): TP Therapeutics; Research grant / Funding (institution): Xcovery; Research grant / Funding (institution): Yuhan. S. Hodi: Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Bristol Mysers Squibb; Advisory / Consultancy: Merck; Advisory / Consultancy: EMD Serono; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Novartis; Advisory / Consultancy: Takeda; Advisory / Consultancy: Surface; Advisory / Consultancy: Genentech/Roche; Advisory / Consultancy: Compass Therapeutics; Advisory / Consultancy: Apricity; Advisory / Consultancy: Bayer; Advisory / Consultancy: Aduro; Advisory / Consultancy: Partners Therapeutics; Advisory / Consultancy: Sanofi; Advisory / Consultancy: Pfizer; Advisory / Consultancy: Pionyr; Advisory / Consultancy: 7 Hills Pharma; Advisory / Consultancy: Verastem; Advisory / Consultancy: Torque; Advisory / Consultancy: Rheos. T. Doi: Research grant / Funding (institution): Lilly ; Research grant / Funding (institution): Taiho; Research grant / Funding (institution): Novartis; Research grant / Funding (institution): Merck Serono; Research grant / Funding (institution): MSD; Research grant / Funding (institution): Boehringer Ingelheim ; Research grant / Funding (institution): Quintiles; Research grant / Funding (institution): Pfizer; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Dainippon Sumitomo; Research grant / Funding (institution): Kyowa Hakko Kirin; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Daiichi Sankyo; Research grant / Funding (institution): BMS; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): AbbVie; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Takeda; Advisory / Consultancy: Otsuka. T. Longmire: Full / Part-time employment: Novartis. H. Sun: Full / Part-time employment: Novartis. A. Xyrafas: Full / Part-time employment: Novartis. S. Gutzwiller: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: Novartis. L. Manenti: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: Novartis. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Background Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) with T cell receptor (TCR) gene modified peripheral blood T cells creates large pools of tumor reactive T cells. Based on preclinical validation we have selected a high affinity MART-1-specific TCR for TCR gene therapy in metastatic melanoma (MM). Utilizing a novel GMP production protocol we performed a phase I trial to asses feasibility, safety and efficacy of TCR gene therapy in pts with MM. Methods HLA-A2*0201+ pts with irresectable stage IIIc/IV melanoma, expressing MART-1 and MHC class I, with no standard treatment options were included. Autologous T cells were isolated via apheresis and transduced with a MP-71 retroviral vector encoding the 1D3HMCys MART-1 TCR and expanded ex vivo in presence of IL-7 and IL-15. Non-myeloablative chemotherapy was given prior to one i.v. infusion of MART-1 TCR transduced T cells in a dose escalating manner after evaluation of adverse events (AEs). Feasibility, safety (CTCAE 4.0) and ORR (RECIST 1.1) were assessed. Results Twelve heavily pretreated metastatic cutaneous (n = 7) and uveal (n = 5) melanoma (mUM) pts were treated with MART-1 TCR transduced T cells across 4 dose cohorts. Transduction efficiency was 42-76%. Viability of the cell product was 92.9-98.5%. Pt 1 received 4.56 x 109 MART-1 TCR transduced T cells but died 9 days post infusion due to multiple organ failure. Subsequent pts received 5 x 107 (n = 3; cohort (c) 2), 25 x 107 (n = 2; c3) and 10 x 107 (n = 6; c4) cells. On-target AEs were dose-dependent and included dermatitis (10/11) max grade 3, uveitis (3/11) max grade 2 and ototoxicity (4/11) max grade 3, highest in cohort 3. Four pts (n = 2 c3; n = 2 c4) showed signs of cytokine release syndrome and 3 pts required tocilizumab. Objective PR by RECIST 1.1 was seen in 2 pts (17%), with a DOR of 4.2 (mUM, c4) and 8.4 (c3) months. Persistence of transduced T cells in peripheral blood was correlated with infused cell dose. Conclusions Treatment with MART-1 TCR transduced peripheral blood T cells expanded in presence of IL-7 and IL-15 led to severe dose-dependent toxicity with a maximum tolerated dose of 10 x 107 transduced cells. Despite observed responses, toxicity limited further development and use of this MART-1 TCR cellular therapy in MM patients. NCT02654821. Clinical trial identification NCT02654821. Legal entity responsible for the study Netherlands Cancer Institute/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek hospital (NKI-AVL). Funding KWF Kankerbestrijding. Disclosure J.H. Beijnen: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: Modra Pharmaceuticals BV . J.V. van Thienen: Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy: Pfizer ; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy: Novartis. C.U. Blank: Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): BMS; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: MSD; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Roche; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Novartis; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Lilly; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Pfizer; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: GSK; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: GenMab; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Pierre Fabre ; Research grant / Funding (institution): NanoString. T.N. Schumacher: Advisory / Consultancy: Adaptive Biotechnologies; Advisory / Consultancy, Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options: AIMM Therapeutics; Advisory / Consultancy, Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options: Allogene Therapeutics; Advisory / Consultancy: Amgen; Advisory / Consultancy, Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options: Merus; Advisory / Consultancy, Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options: Neon Therapeutics; Advisory / Consultancy: Scenic Biotech; Advisory / Consultancy: Third Rock Ventures; Research grant / Funding (institution): Merck; Research grant / Funding (institution): Bristol-Myers Squibb; Research grant / Funding (institution): Merck KGaA; Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options: Neogene Therapeutics; Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options: Scenic Biotech. J.B.A.G. Haanen: Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): BMS; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): MSD; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy: Pfizer; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy: AZ/MedImmune; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy: Roche/Genentech; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy: Ipsen; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy: Bayer; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy: Immunocore; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Novartis; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy: Seattle Genetics; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Neon Therapeutics; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy: Celsius Therapeutics; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy: Gadet ; Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy: GSK. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Background The clinical benefit of combined treatment with BRAF- and MEK-inhibitors (BRAFi; MEKi) in BRAFV600 mutant (BRAFm) melanoma is limited due to resistance after 6-14 months, associated with emerging secondary mutations. Withholding of treatment leads to reversible hyperactivation of the MAPK pathway, causing transient growth arrest and increase in Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in preclinical studies. Treatment of BRAFi/MEKi resistant melanoma cells with vorinostat leads to a further increase in ROS, effectively killing BRAFi resistant cells. In vivo, switch from BRAFi to vorinostat in BRAFi resistant BRAFm melanoma resulted in a decline in tumor volume. Six patients with resistant BRAFm melanoma were treated with vorinostat 360 mg QD continuously. These patients revealed regression of mutant clones and progression of BRAFi sensitive clones. Tumor biopsies showed newly developed secondary MAPK pathway mutations, e.g. NRASQ61H and KRASG12C amplifications at start and a complete absence of these resistant mutations after two weeks of vorinostat. Based on these findings we postulate that BRAFi resistant BRAFm melanoma cells can be eliminated by a short treatment with vorinostat due to killing of tumor cells harboring a secondary mutation in the MAPK pathway. In vitro experiments confirmed this hypothesis. Trial design This is a proof of concept study to determine the efficacy of sequential treatment with vorinostat and BRAFi/MEKi in BRAFi resistant BRAFm melanoma. Patients with age ≥ 18 years, WHO performance 0-2 and progression on BRAFi/MEKi are eligible. 26 evaluable patients with resistant BRAFm melanoma will be treated with vorinostat 360 mg continuously for 2 weeks and thereafter switch back to BRAFi/MEKi. The primary aim is to demonstrate ≥ 30% anti-tumor response of progressive lesions according to RECIST 1.1 upon sequenced treatment with vorinostat and BRAFi/MEKi. Secondary endpoints are to demonstrate that emerging resistant clones with a secondary mutation in the MAPK pathway can be detected by ctDNA analysis and purged by short term treatment with vorinostat. Blood and tumor biopsies will be taken for pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and pharmacogenetic exploratory analyses. Clinical trial identification NCT02836548. Legal entity responsible for the study The Netherlands Cancer Institute. Funding Oncode. Disclosure J.H.M. Schellens: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, and patent holder on oral taxenes: Modra Pharmaceutical. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Contains fulltext : 154919.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of dendritic cell (DC) vaccination against HIV-1 on host gene expression profiles. DESIGN: Longitudinal PBMC samples were collected from participants of the DC-TRN trial for immunotherapy against HIV. Microarray-assisted gene expression profiling was performed to evaluate the effects of vaccination and subsequent interruption of antiretroviral therapy on host genome expression. Data from the DC-TRN trial were compared with results from other vaccination trials. METHODS: We used Affymetrix GeneChips for microarray gene expression analysis. Data were analyzed by principal component analysis and differential gene expression was assessed using linear modeling. Gene ontology enrichment and gene set analysis were used to characterize differentially expressed genes. Transcriptome analysis included comparison with PBMCs obtained from DC-vaccinated melanoma patients and of healthy individuals who received seasonal influenza vaccination. RESULTS: DC-TRN immunotherapy in HIV-infected individuals resulted in a major shift in the transcriptome. Longitudinal analysis demonstrated that changes in the transcriptome sustained also during interruption of antiretroviral therapy. After DC-vaccination, the transcriptome was enriched for cellular immunity associated genes that were also induced in healthy adults who received live attenuated influenza virus vaccination. These beneficial responses were accompanied by detrimental signals of general immune activation. CONCLUSIONS: The DC-TRN induced changes in the transcriptome were profound, lasting, and consisted of both protective signals and signatures of inflammation and immune exhaustion, with a net result of decreased viral load, without clinical benefit. Thus transcriptome analysis provides useful information, dissecting both positive and negative effects, for the evaluation of safety and efficacy of immunotherapeutic strategies.

PURPOSE: Melanoma patients with a high risk of recurrence may benefit from immunotherapy with mRNA-electroporated autologous monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs). Further benefit may be found in combining DC-therapy with interferon alfa-2b. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The long-term clinical outcome of AJCC stage III/IV melanoma patients who had no evidence of disease at the time of treatment with autologous mRNA-electroporated DCs in a single-center pilot clinical trial was analyzed. Antigen loading was accomplished by co-electroporation of mRNA encoding a fusion protein between MAGE-A1, -A3, -C2, Tyrosinase, MelanA/MART-1, or gp100, and an HLA class II-targeting sequence. DCs were administered by 4-6 bi-weekly intradermal injections. IFN-α-2b (5 MIU TIW) was initiated either at recurrence (cohort 1), concomitant with DCs (cohorts 2 and 3), or following the fourth DC administration (cohort 4). RESULTS: Thirty melanoma patients were recruited between April 2006 and June 2009. DC-related adverse events included grade 2 local injection site reactions in all patients, grade 2 fever and flu-like symptoms in one patient, and skin depigmentation in seven patients. After a median follow-up of over 6 years, the median relapse-free survival is 22 months (95% CI 12-32 months). Twelve patients have died. The median overall survival has not been reached; the 2-year and 4-year survival rates are 93 and 70%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant therapy following the resection of melanoma metastases with autologous mRNA-electroporated DCs, combined with interferon alfa-2b, is tolerable and results in encouraging long-term overall survival rates justifying further evaluation in a randomized clinical trial.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by a malignant proliferation of plasma cells in the bone marrow with associated organ damage. Although the prognosis of MM has improved recently, the disease remains incurable for the large majority of patients. The eradication of residual disease in the bone marrow is a main target on the road toward cure. Immune cells play a role in the control of cancer and can be tools to attack residual MM cells. However, the myeloma-associated immune deficiency is a major hurdle to immunotherapy. We evaluated ex vivo the effects of low doses of the immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) lenalidomide and pomalidomide on several immune cell types from MM patients after autologous stem cell transplantation and with low tumor burden. We observed that these drugs increased CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell proliferation and cytokine production, enhanced the lytic capacity of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and reduced the suppressive effects of regulatory T cells on CD8(+) T-cell responses. In addition, we found that functional dendritic cells (DCs) can be generated from mononuclear cells from MM patients. The presence of IMiDs improved the quality of antigen-specific T cells induced or expanded by these DCs as evidenced by a higher degree of T-cell polyfunctionality. Our results provide a rationale for the design of early phase clinical studies to assess the efficacy of DC-based immunotherapy in combination with posttransplant maintenance treatment with IMiDs in MM.

Since decades, the main goal of tumor immunologists has been to increase the capacity of the immune system to mediate tumor regression. In this regard, one of the major focuses of cancer immunotherapy has been the design of vaccines promoting strong tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses in cancer patients. Here, dendritic cells (DCs) play a pivotal role as they are regarded as nature's adjuvant and as such have become the natural agents for antigen delivery in order to finally elicit strong T cell responses (Villadangos and Schnorrer in Nat Rev Immunol 7:543-555, 2007; Melief in Immunity 29:372-383, 2008; Palucka and Banchereau in Nat Rev Cancer 12:265-277, 2012; Vacchelli et al. in Oncoimmunology 2:e25771, 2013; Galluzzi et al. in Oncoimmunology 1:1111-1134, 2012). Therefore, many investigators are actively pursuing the use of DCs as an efficient way of inducing anticancer immune responses. Nowadays, DCs can be generated at a large scale in closed systems, yielding sufficient numbers of cells for clinical application. In addition, with the identification of tumor-associated antigens, which are either selectively or preferentially expressed by tumors, a whole range of strategies using DCs for immunotherapy have been designed and tested in clinical studies. Despite the evidence that DCs loaded with tumor-associated antigens can elicit immune responses in vivo, clinical responses remained disappointingly low. Therefore, optimization of the cellular product and route of administration was urgently needed. Here, we review the path we have followed in the development of TriMixDC-MEL, a potent DC-based cellular therapy, discussing its development as well as further modifications and applications.

Background Immune-checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized advanced melanoma care. Despite major improvements in survival, many patients do not derive long-term benefit and treatment could cause severe side-effects. Since several new (combination) therapies are or will become available, early prediction of non-responsiveness (NR) to anti-PD-1 monotherapy becomes relevant in order to enable early switch to next line (combination) treatment and avoid nonsensical care. Methods Advanced melanoma patients treated with pembrolizumab (PEM) who started PEM between June 2014 and August 2016 were included in this retrospective analysis. S100 and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were routinely determined prior to initiation of PEM and every 3-weeks during treatment. NR to treatment was defined as progressive disease or death at 6 months after start of PEM. Biomarker response characteristic (BReC) plots were obtained and LDH and S100 response cut-offs were determined based on two criteria: specificity for NR > 95% and feasibility to use in clinical practice. Next, sensitivity, specificity and predictive values were generated per follow-up time point (week 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15). Results 166 advanced melanoma patients were included. The BReC analyses showed clear relations between an early (week 3 to 15) increase in tumor biomarker and NR. An increase of > 50% in LDH or a > 100% increase in S100 above the upper limit of normal compared to baseline at any follow-up interval was determined as criterion to positively test for NR. Obtained specificity ranged from 0.97-0.98 and the positive predictive value ranged from 0.92-0.96 for the studied follow-up intervals. Obtained sensitivity for detecting non-responsiveness ranged from 0.25 (95% CI; 0.16-0.35) at 3 weeks of follow-up to 0.35 (95% CI; 0.24-0.47) at 12 weeks of follow-up. Conclusions An early increase in S100 and/or LDH are strong parameters for non-responsiveness to PD-1 blockade in advanced melanoma. Prospective confirmation is needed before clinical implementation. Legal entity responsible for the study Netherlands Cancer Institute. Funding Netherlands Cancer Institute. Disclosure E.A. Rozeman: Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: NanoString; Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: MSD. J.V. van Thienen: Advisory / Consultancy: Pfizer; Advisory / Consultancy: Novartis. J.B.A.G. Haanen: Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): BMS; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): MSD; Advisory / Consultancy: Pfizer; Advisory / Consultancy: AZ/MedImmune; Advisory / Consultancy: Roche/Genentech; Advisory / Consultancy: Ipsen; Advisory / Consultancy: Bayer; Advisory / Consultancy: Immunocore; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Novartis; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Neon Therapeutics; Advisory / Consultancy: Celsius; Advisory / Consultancy: Seattle Genetics; Advisory / Consultancy: Gadet. C.U. Blank: Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): BMS; Advisory / Consultancy: MSD; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Novartis; Advisory / Consultancy: Pfizer; Advisory / Consultancy: Lilly ; Advisory / Consultancy: GSK; Advisory / Consultancy: GenMab; Research grant / Funding (institution): NanoString; Advisory / Consultancy: Roche; Advisory / Consultancy: Pierre Fabre. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Background: MBG453 and spartalizumab, humanized IgG4 mAbs, block binding of TIM-3 to PtdSer and PD-1 to PD-L1/2, respectively. Preclinical studies show synergistic anti-tumor activity of TIM-3 and PD-1 co-blockade. Here we report the dose escalation results from a Ph I-Ib/II study of MBG453 ± spartalizumab in metastatic solid tumors (NCT02608268). Methods: Metastatic cancer pts received intravenous MBG453 alone at 80-1200 mg Q2W or Q4W, or combination therapy (Q2W/Q4W) with MBG453 (20-800/80-1200 mg) + spartalizumab (80-240 mg/80-400 mg). The recommended Ph II dose (RP2D) was determined using an adaptive Bayesian logistic regression model guided by escalation with overdose control together with Ph I-Ib endpoints (dose-limiting toxicity [DLT] at 8 weeks). Results: As of July 26, 2018, 87 pts received MBG453 alone (14% were anti-PD-1/PD-L1 pre-treated; common tumors [≥9%]: pancreatic cancer [11%], sarcoma [10%], and colorectal cancer [CRC; 9%]) and 86 pts received MBG453 + spartalizumab (27% were anti-PD-1/PD-L1 pre-treated; common tumors [≥6%]: melanoma [8%], NSCLC [7%], CRC [7%], and ovarian cancer [6%]). One DLT (myasthenia gravis grade [G] 4) was reported in a pt with thymoma treated with MBG453 (240 mg Q4W) + spartalizumab (80 mg Q4W). Treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were reported in 40% and 59% of pts treated with MBG453 and MBG453 + spartalizumab, and G3/4 AEs in 0% and 11% of pts; the most common AE (≥10%) was fatigue in 10% and 15% of pts, respectively. MBG453 exposure generally increased in a dose-proportional manner. Maximum tolerated doses were not identified with the tested dose/schedule. MBG453 800 mg Q4W (n=9 pts treated) and MBG453 800 mg + spartalizumab 400 mg Q4W (n=6 pts treated) were declared as RP2Ds. Stable disease (SD) was seen in 25/87 (29%) pts treated with MBG453 alone (common tumors [≥2 pts]: sarcoma [n=5], and breast cancer, CRC, ovarian cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, and NSCLC [n=2 pts each]); 4 of 25 pts with SD were anti-PD-1/PD-L1 pre-treated. Of 86 MBG453 + spartalizumab pts, partial responses were seen in 4 pts (5%); 1 anti-PD-1/PD-L1 pre-treated pt (out of 6 with NSCLC; DOR: 392 d), 3 anti-PD-1/PD-L1 naïve pts (CRC [n=2 out of 6, DOR: 223 d, 109 d]; SCLC [n=1 out of 3; DOR: 112 d]). SD was seen in 34/86 (40%) MBG453 + spartalizumab pts (common tumors [≥3 pts]: melanoma [n=5; 2 cutaneous, 2 uveal, and 1 non-cutaneous], ovarian cancer [n=3], and urothelial carcinoma [n=3]); 10 of 34 pts with SD were anti-PD-1/PD-L1 pre-treated. RNAseq analysis of screening and on-treatment biopsies revealed a pharmacodynamic trend of increased IFN-γ-associated gene signatures following MBG453 + spartalizumab treatment. Conclusions: MBG453 + spartalizumab was well tolerated with preliminary signs of anti-tumor activity. MBG453 800 mg Q4W and MBG453 800 mg + spartalizumab 400 mg Q4W were selected as the RP2Ds; dose expansion is ongoing in pts with melanoma or NSCLC resistant to anti-PD-1/PD-L1. Citation Format: Giuseppe Curigliano, Hans Gelderblom, Nicolas Mach, Toshihiko Doi, Wai Meng David Tai, Patrick Forde, John Sarantopoulos, Philippe L. Bedard, Chia-Chi Lin, Stephen Hodi, Sofie Wilgenhof, Armando Santoro, Catherine Sabatos-Peyton, Tyler Longmire, Kitty Wan, Panagiotis Nikolopoulos, Luigi Manenti, Aung Naing. Phase (Ph) I/II study of MBG453± spartalizumab (PDR001) in patients (pts) with advanced malignancies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr CT183.

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Dendritic cell therapy has been optimized a lot aiming to induce a strong and broad immune response in terms of the recognized epitopes by both CD8+ and CD4+ T cells and the use of the patients' complete unique set of HLA molecules. We here give an overview of our approach for antigen loading and maturation of dendritic cells and describe the consequences to evaluate the immune response after treatment as well as the Brussels experience in clinical trials.

Ipilimumab, a CTLA-4-blocking monoclonal antibody, improved the overall survival (OS) of advanced melanoma patients treated in prospective clinical trials. We here report a study on the outcome of patients with pretreated advanced melanoma offered ipilimumab (at its licensed dose of 3 mg/kg, every 3 wk for a total of 4 doses) in an expanded access program at a single-center university hospital. Of the 50 patients initiating ipilimumab, 31 patients completed induction therapy and 9 patients were offered reinduction therapy. Most immune-related adverse events were mild and reversible. The best objective response rate by mWHO-criteria included 1 complete response and 4 partial responses (best objective response rate of 10%). Two additional patients obtained a partial response by immune-related response criteria. Median OS was 7 months, with a 1- and 2-year survival rate of 45.2% and 28.8%, respectively. Long-term disease control with ipilimumab was observed in 7 patients of which 4 received reinduction. Baseline serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) measured on week 6 significantly correlated with OS. In conclusion, in this single-center experience with ipilimumab for advanced pretreated melanoma patients, clinical outcome was comparable with the results of published prospective studies. Reinduction therapy was of importance for maintaining long-term disease control in the majority of responding patients. Baseline CRP and ALC at week 6 deserve further prospective evaluation as prognostic and/or predictive (surrogate) markers.

9585Background: The immune checkpoint inhibitors (CI) anti-CTLA-4 (ipilimumab [IPI]) and anti-PD-1 (pembrolizumab [PEM] and nivolumab [NIVO]) have improved survival in advanced melanoma patients (p...

BACKGROUND: BRAF V600 mutant circulating cell-free tumor DNA (BRAF V600mut ctDNA) could serve as a specific biomarker in patients with BRAF V600 mutant melanoma. We analyzed the value of BRAF V600mut ctDNA from plasma as a monitoring tool for advanced melanoma patients treated with BRAF/MEK inhibitors. METHODS: Allele-specific quantitative PCR analysis for BRAF V600 E/E2/D/K/R/M mutations was performed on DNA extracted from plasma of patients with known BRAF V600 mutant melanoma who were treated with dabrafenib and trametinib. RESULTS: 245 plasma samples from 36 patients were analyzed. In 16 patients the first plasma sample was obtained before the first dosing of dabrafenib/trametinib. At baseline, BRAF V600mut ctDNA was detected in 75 % of patients (n = 12/16). BRAF V600mut ctDNA decreased rapidly upon initiation of targeted therapy (p < 0.001) and became undetectable in 60 % of patients (n = 7/12) after 6 weeks of treatment. During treatment, disease progression (PD) was diagnosed in 27 of 36 patients. Anincrease of the BRAF V600mut ctDNA copy number and fraction, identified PD with a sensitivity of 70 % (n = 19/27) and a specificity of 100 %. An increase in the BRAF V600mut ctDNA fraction was detected prior to clinical PD in 44 % of cases (n = 12/27) and simultaneously with PD in 26 % of patients (n = 7/27). CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative analysis of BRAF V600mut ctDNA in plasma has unique features as a monitoring tool during treatment with BRAF/MEK inhibitors. Its potential as an early predictor of acquired resistance deserves further evaluation.