T-cell diversification reflects antigen selection in the blood of patients on immune checkpoint inhibition and may be exploited as liquid biopsy biomarker.

Cancer immunotherapy with antibodies targeting immune checkpoints, such as programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), shows encouraging results, but reliable biomarkers predicting response to this costly and potentially toxic treatment approach are still lacking. To explore an immune signature predictive for response, we performed liquid biopsy immunoprofiling in 18 cancer patients undergoing PD-1 inhibition before and shortly after initiation of treatment by multicolor flow cytometry and next-generation T- and B-cell immunosequencing (TCRß/IGH). Findings were correlated with clinical outcomes. We found almost complete saturation of surface PD-1 on all T-cell subsets after the first dose of the antibody. Both T- and B-cell compartments quantitatively expanded during treatment. These expansions were mainly driven by an increase in the activated T-cell compartments, as well as of naïve B- and plasma cells. Deep immunosequencing revealed a clear diversification pattern of the clonal T-cell space indicative of antigenic selection in 47% of patients, while the remaining patients showed stable repertoires. 43% of the patients with a diversification pattern showed disease control in response to the PD-1 inhibitor. No disease stabilizations were observed without clonal T-cell space diversification. Our data show for the first time a clear impact of PD-1 targeting not only on circulating T-cells, but also on B-lineage cells, shedding light on the complexity of the anti-tumor immune response. Liquid biopsy T-cell next-generation immunosequencing should be prospectively evaluated as part of a composite response prediction biomarker panel in the context of clinical studies.

Acute megakaryoblastic leukemia in a patient with xeroderma pigmentosum: discussion of pathophysiological, prognostic, and toxicological aspects.

BACKGROUND: Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is an autosomal recessive inherited disease characterized by extreme sensitivity to sunlight. Normal individuals harboring XPD polymorphisms are at increased risk for developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). CASE REPORT: A 33-year-old male XP patient was diagnosed with acute megakaryoblastic leukemia with a complex karyotype. He received standard induction chemotherapy with cytarabine and daunorubicin. After the first cycle of chemotherapy, persistence of blasts was seen and a re-induction cycle with cytarabine, fludarabine, and idarubicin was administered resulting in complete remission. Due to the high-risk profile of his AML, allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) was performed. Following a conditioning regimen with busulfan and cyclophosphamide, the patient received a matched related SCT from his HLA-identical sister. Despite the existence of his DNA repair gene mutation, chemotherapy was normally tolerated by the patient. Unfortunately, he died due to severe sepsis and relapse of AML 45 days after SCT. CONCLUSION: The XPD mutation in our patient may have contributed to the emergence of his high-risk AML. Despite the existence of a DNA repair gene mutation, our XP patient could be treated with full doses of AML-type chemotherapy including allogeneic SCT without encountering unusual toxicity.

Prognostic value of von Willebrand factor levels in patients with metastatic melanoma treated by immune checkpoint inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: An increased incidence of thrombotic complications associated with an increased mortality rate has been observed under immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI). Recent investigations on the coagulation pathways have highlighted the direct role of key coagulatory proteins and platelets in cancer initiation, angiogenesis and progression. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of von Willebrand factor (vWF) and its regulatory enzyme a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13 (ADAMTS13), D-dimers and platelets in a cohort of patients with metastatic melanoma receiving ICI. METHODS: In a prospective cohort of 83 patients with metastatic melanoma, we measured the systemic levels of vWF-antigen (vWF:Ag), ADAMTS13 activity, D-dimers and platelets, before the beginning of the treatment (baseline), and 6, 12 and 24 weeks after. In parallel, we collected standard biological parameters used in clinical routine to monitor melanoma response (lactate deshydrogenase (LDH), S100). The impact of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) on overall survival (OS) in patients receiving ICI was assessed. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional models were then used to investigate any potential association of these parameters to clinical progression (progression-free survival (PFS) and OS). Baseline values and variations over therapy course were compared between primary responders and resistant patients. RESULTS: Patients with melanoma present with dysregulated levels of vWF:Ag, ADAMTS13 activity, D-dimers, LDH, S100 and CRP at the beginning of treatment. With a median clinical follow-up of 26 months, vWF:Ag interrogated as a continuous variable was significantly associated with PFS in univariate and multivariate analysis (HR=1.04; p=0.007). Lower values of vWF:Ag at baseline were observed in the primary responders group (median: 29.4 µg/mL vs 32.9 µg/mL; p=0.048) when compared with primary resistant patients. As for OS, we found an association with D-dimers and ADAMTS13 activity in univariate analysis and vWF:Ag in univariate and multivariate analysis including v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF) mutation and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status. Follow-up over the course of treatment depicts different evolution profiles for vWF:Ag between the primary response and resistance groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this prospective cohort, coagulatory parameters such as ADAMTS13 activity and D-dimers are associated with OS but baseline vWF:Ag levels appeared as the only parameter associated with response and OS to ICI. This highlights a potential role of vWF as a biomarker to monitor ICI response of patients with malignant melanoma.

Patients with BRAF-Mutant Advanced/Metastatic Melanoma: Original Research on the Treatment Reality in Germany and Austria in the Era of Choice.

INTRODUCTION: Cutaneous melanoma is one of the most aggressive forms of skin neoplasms and represents a major cause of neoplastic or cancer death in Europe. Without adequate therapy, the 5-year survival rate is 15% when the disease metastasizes to distant organs. The objective of our study was to evaluate the status quo of the current treatment standards in stage IV melanoma and rationale for therapy decisions in Germany and Austria between January 2016 and September 2018. METHODS: In this retrospective, anonymized registry, data of male and female patients with unresectable advanced/metastatic BRAF-positive cutaneous melanoma treated in the first, second, and third line with registered substances were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Ninety-nine patients (50.5% male) received a total of 172 treatment lines. The first (99 patients), second (56 patients), and third (17 patients) treatment lines were documented. Within the 80.8% of patients with stage IV melanoma, targeted therapy (TT) was more frequently administered as a first-line treatment than immunotherapy (IO) with checkpoint inhibitors (59.6% TT vs. 40.4% IO). Across all lines, patients received TT in 54.7% and IO in 43.0% of the cases. As targeted agents, dabrafenib plus trametinib was predominantly prescribed (72.3%), whereas the monotherapy with anti-programmed cell death protein 1 and anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 antibodies or their combination was prescribed similarly often (50.0% vs. 47.3%). Most commonly, the treatment type was switched from TT to IO or vice versa upon disease progression. The most frequent rationales for prescribing either TT or IO were remission pressure (72.9%) or physician's preference (45.0%), respectively. Disease progression was a more frequent cause of treatment discontinuation than undesired events. CONCLUSION: Patients in Germany and Austria with unresectable advanced or metastatic BRAF-mutant melanoma predominantly receive guideline-recommended treatments. TT was more frequently administered than IO while the rationale for prescribing a specific treatment type differed between the two.

Targeted Therapy in Advanced Melanoma With Rare BRAF Mutations.

PURPOSE: BRAF/MEK inhibition is a standard of care for patients with BRAF V600E/K-mutated metastatic melanoma. For patients with less frequent BRAF mutations, however, efficacy data are limited. METHODS: In the current study, 103 patients with metastatic melanoma with rare, activating non-V600E/K BRAF mutations that were treated with either a BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi), MEK inhibitor (MEKi), or the combination were included. BRAF mutation, patient and disease characteristics, response, and survival data were analyzed. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patient tumors (56%) harbored a non-E/K V600 mutation, 38 (37%) a non-V600 mutation, and seven had both V600E and a rare BRAF mutation (7%). The most frequent mutations were V600R (43%; 44 of 103), L597P/Q/R/S (15%; 15 of 103), and K601E (11%; 11 of 103). Most patients had stage IV disease and 42% had elevated lactate dehydrogenase at BRAFi/MEKi initiation. Most patients received combined BRAFi/MEKi (58%) or BRAFi monotherapy (37%). Of the 58 patients with V600 mutations, overall response rate to BRAFi monotherapy and combination BRAFi/MEKi was 27% (six of 22) and 56% (20 of 36), respectively, whereas median progression-free survival (PFS) was 3.7 months and 8.0 months, respectively (P = .002). Of the 38 patients with non-V600 mutations, overall response rate was 0% (zero of 15) to BRAFi, 40% (two of five) to MEKi, and 28% (five of 18) to combination treatment, with a median PFS of 1.8 months versus 3.7 months versus 3.3 months, respectively. Multivariable analyses revealed superior survival (PFS and overall survival) with combination over monotherapy in rare V600 and non-V600 mutated melanoma. CONCLUSION: Patients with rare BRAF mutations can respond to targeted therapy, however, efficacy seems to be lower compared with V600E mutated melanoma. Combination BRAFi/MEKi seems to be the best regimen for both V600 and non-V600 mutations. Yet interpretation should be done with care because of the heterogeneity of patients with small sample sizes for some of the reported mutations.

Knockdown of L1CAM significantly reduces metastasis in a xenograft model of human melanoma: L1CAM is a potential target for anti-melanoma therapy.

Finding additional functional targets for combination therapy could improve the outcome for melanoma patients. In a spontaneous metastasis xenograft model of human melanoma a shRNA mediated knockdown of L1CAM more than sevenfold reduced the number of lung metastases after the induction of subcutaneous tumors for two human melanoma cell lines (MeWo, MV3). Whole genome expression arrays of the initially L1CAM high MeWo subcutaneous tumors revealed unchanged or downregulated genes involved in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) except an upregulation of Jagged 1, indicating a compensatory change in Notch signaling especially as Jagged 1 expression showed an increase in MeWo L1CAM metastases and Jagged 1 was expressed in metastases of the initially L1CAM low MV3 cells as well. Expression of 17 genes showed concordant regulation for L1CAM knockdown tumors of both cell lines. The changes in gene expression indicated changes in the EMT network of the melanoma cells and an increase in p53/p21 and p38 activity contributing to the reduced metastatic potential of the L1CAM knockdowns. Taken together, these data make L1CAM a highly interesting therapeutic target to prevent further metastatic spread in melanoma patients.

Preferences of German melanoma patients for interferon (IFN) α-2b toxicities (the DeCOG "GERMELATOX survey") versus melanoma recurrence to quantify patients' relative values for adjuvant therapy.

Currently interferon alfa-2b (IFNα-2b) is an approved adjuvant drug for high-risk melanoma patients that leads to an improvement in disease-free survival (DFS). However, it is unclear whether it also impacts overall survival. Widespread use of adjuvant high-dose IFNα has been tempered by its significant toxicity and its limited efficacy. Current therapeutic strategies like immune checkpoint blockade or targeted therapy may also be useful in the adjuvant setting. Therefore, it is important to weigh the trade-offs between possible side effects and therapeutic benefit.We assessed patient utilities for health states associated with IFN therapy. Utilities are measures of preference for a specific health state on a scale of 0 (death) to 1 (perfect health).Utilities were determined for health states associated with adjuvant IFN among 130 German low-risk melanoma patients using the standard gamble technique. Four IFNα-2b toxicity scenarios and the following 3 posttreatment outcomes were assessed: disease-free health and melanoma recurrence (with or without previous use of IFNα-2b) resulting in cancer death. Patients were asked to trade-off the improvement in 5-year DFS and the IFN-related side effects.Utilities for melanoma recurrence (mean 0.60) were significantly lower than for all IFNα-2b toxicity scenarios (mean 0.81-0.90). Patients were willing to tolerate mild-to-moderate and severe toxicity for a 50% and 75% chance of 5-year DFS, respectively. Both utilities and threshold benefits were mostly independent from patient characteristics like gender, income, and social situation. Significant impact was only observed by age and previous personal experience with cancer.On average, German patients were willing to trade even severe IFNα-2b toxicity for reducing the rate of melanoma recurrence. This result points out the importance of a relapse-free survival for melanoma patients. The utilities measured in our study can be applied to decision-making processes in clinical trials of new adjuvant drugs.

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.

The microenvironment in the human lung partly determines the site of the first metastasis.

BACKGROUND: Due to local ventilation and perfusion differences in the pulmonary lobes, the microenvironmental influence on metastasis formation in the lung can be studied. We, therefore, investigated whether the anatomical distribution of first lung metastases follow a particular pattern. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-three out of 273 patients with melanoma who underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and computed tomography (18FDG-PET/CT) were identified as patients with detected primary pulmonary metastases. All solitary metastases were allocated to the appropriate lung segment. RESULTS: Segment L3 had the significantly highest number of metastases (n=11; p<0.001). Overall, both upper lung lobes manifested numerously more metastases in comparison to the lower lobes (26 metastases (70%) vs. 11 metastases (30%); p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Our results provide novel information supporting the hypothesis that pulmonary metastases occur prevalently in the upper lung segments.