Long-Term Survival in Patients With Advanced Melanoma.

IMPORTANCE: Long-term survival data from clinical trials show that survival curves of patients with advanced melanoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) gradually reach a plateau, suggesting that patients have a chance of achieving long-term survival. OBJECTIVE: To investigate long-term survival in patients with advanced melanoma treated with ICIs outside clinical trials. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Cohort study using prospectively collected data from the nationwide Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry, including patients in the Netherlands with advanced melanoma treated with first-line ICIs from 2012 to 2019. Data were analyzed from January to September 2023. EXPOSURES: Patients were treated with first-line ipilimumab-nivolumab, antibodies that target programmed cell death (anti-PD-1), or ipilimumab. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Progression-free survival (PFS) and melanoma-specific survival were analyzed, and a Cox proportional hazards model was used to investigate factors associated with PFS after reaching partial response (PR) or complete response (CR). RESULTS: A total of 2490 patients treated with first-line ICIs were included (median [IQR] age, 65.0 [55.3-73.0] years; 1561 male patients [62.7%]). Most patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status of 1 or lower (2202 patients [88.5%]) and normal lactate dehydrogenase levels (1715 patients [68.9%]). PFS for all patients was 23.4% (95% CI, 21.7%-25.2%) after 3 years and 19.7% (95% CI, 18.0%-21.4%) after 5 years. Overall survival for all patients was 44.0% (95% CI, 42.1%-46.1%) after 3 years and 35.9% (95% CI, 33.9%-38.0%) after 5 years. Patients with metastases in 3 or more organ sites had a significantly higher hazard of progression after reaching PR or CR (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.11-1.69). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This cohort study of patients with advanced melanoma treated with ICIs in clinical practice showed that their survival reached a plateau, comparable with patients participating in clinical trials. These findings can be used in daily clinical practice to guide long-term surveillance strategies and inform both physicians and patients regarding long-term treatment outcomes.

Baseline tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte patterns and response to immune checkpoint inhibition in metastatic cutaneous melanoma.

INTRODUCTION: The presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in melanoma has been linked to survival. Their predictive capability for immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) response remains uncertain. Therefore, we investigated the association between treatment response and TILs in the largest cohort to date and analyzed if this association was independent of known clinical predictors. METHODS: In this multicenter cohort study, patients who received first-line anti-PD1 ± anti-CTLA4 for advanced melanoma were identified. TILs were scored on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) slides of primary melanoma and pre-treatment metastases using the validated TILs-WG, Clark and MIA score. The primary outcome was objective response rate (ORR), with progression free survival and overall survival being secondary outcomes. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard were performed, adjusting for known clinical predictors. RESULTS: Metastatic melanoma specimens were available for 650 patients and primary specimens for 565 patients. No association was found in primary melanoma specimens. In metastatic specimens, a 10-point increase in the TILs-WG score was associated with a higher probability of response (aOR 1.17, 95 % CI 1.07-1.28), increased PFS (HR 0.93, 95 % CI 0.87-0.996), and OS (HR 0.94, 95 % CI 0.89-0.99). When categorized, patients in the highest tertile TILs-WG score (15-100 %) compared to the lowest tertile (0 %) had a longer median PFS (13.1 vs. 7.3 months, p = 0.04) and OS (49.4 vs. 19.5 months, p = 0.003). Similar results were noted using the MIA and Clark scores. CONCLUSION: In advanced melanoma patients, TIL patterns on H&E slides of pre-treatment metastases, regardless of measurement method, are independently associated with ICI response. TILs are easily scored on readily available H&Es, facilitating the use of this biomarker in clinical practice.

Comparative Performance Analysis of Idylla and Archer in the Detection of Gene Fusions in Spitzoid Melanocytic Tumors.

Melanocytic neoplasms with spitzoid histomorphology are often difficult to classify without identifying genetic drivers such as kinase fusions. Traditional diagnostic methods, such as immunohistochemistry, can yield inconclusive results, and advanced techniques such as the Archer fusion assay are often inaccessible and costly. The Idylla GeneFusion Assay might offer a rapid and cost-effective alternative. This study compared Idylla and Archer in identifying ALK, pan-NTRK, RET, and ROS1 gene fusions. Of the 147 samples where next-generation sequencing did not detect genetic drivers, 89 (60.5%) meeting the tissue requirements were further analyzed using Idylla (Cohort A). Idylla demonstrated a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 100% in detecting these fusions. Additionally, among 27 randomly selected cases (Cohort B) that failed to meet the inclusion criteria, Idylla maintained the same levels of sensitivity and specificity. Our findings also show that Idylla can be effectively conducted with isolated RNA, broadening its applicability beyond tissue samples. Although the Idylla assay may not replace more comprehensive molecular assays such as Archer, it could serve as a valuable initial screening tool in diagnosing spitzoid melanocytic tumors.

Adjuvant treatment with anti-PD-1 in acral melanoma: A nationwide study.

Previous studies demonstrated limited efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in unresectable acral melanoma (AM); it remains unclear how this translates to the adjuvant setting. This study investigates clinical outcomes of acral compared to cutaneous melanoma (CM) patients treated with adjuvant anti-PD-1 after complete resection. All stages III-IV AM and CM patients receiving adjuvant anti-PD-1 after complete resection between 2018 and 2022 were included from the prospective nationwide Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry. We analyzed recurrence-free survival (RFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS). A multivariable Cox regression analysis of RFS was performed to adjust for potential confounders. We included 1958 (86 AM and 1872 CM) patients. At baseline, AM patients more frequently had KIT mutations, higher disease stages, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status, and fewer BRAF and NRAS mutations. Median RFS was 14.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.5-29.3) in AM and 37.4 months (95% CI: 34.6 to not reached) in CM (p = .002). After correcting for potential confounders, AM remained associated with a higher risk of recurrence (HRadj 1.53; 95% CI: 1.07-2.17; p = .019). Two-year DMFS tended to be worse for AM than for CM: 64.5% versus 79.7% (p = .050). Two-year OS was significantly lower in AM (71.5% vs. 84.3%; p = .027). The results of this study suggest a poorer outcome of adjuvant-treated AM compared to CM. Studies assessing the added value of adjuvant treatment in AM are needed. Future research should investigate alternative treatment strategies to improve outcomes of high-risk AM.

The Impact of Next-generation Sequencing on Interobserver Agreement and Diagnostic Accuracy of Desmoplastic Melanocytic Neoplasms.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is increasingly being utilized as an ancillary tool for diagnostically challenging melanocytic neoplasms. It is incumbent upon the pathology community to perform studies assessing the benefits and limitations of these tools in specific diagnostic scenarios. One of the most challenging diagnostic scenarios faced by skin pathologists involves accurate diagnosis of desmoplastic melanocytic neoplasms (DMNs). In this study, 20 expert melanoma pathologists rendered a diagnosis on 47 DMNs based on hematoxylin and eosin sections with demographic information. After submitting their diagnosis, the experts were given the same cases, but this time with comprehensive genomic sequencing results, and asked to render a diagnosis again. Identification of desmoplastic melanoma (DM) improved by 7%, and this difference was statistically significant ( P <0.05). In addition, among the 15 melanoma cases, in the pregenomic assessment, only 12 were favored to be DM by the experts, while after genomics, this improved to 14 of the cases being favored to be DM. In fact, some cases resulting in metastatic disease had a substantial increase in the number of experts recognizing them as DM after genomics. The impact of the genomic findings was less dramatic among benign and intermediate-grade desmoplastic tumors (BIDTs). Interobserver agreement also improved, with the Fleiss multirater Kappa being 0.36 before genomics to 0.4 after genomics. NGS has the potential to improve diagnostic accuracy in the assessment of desmoplastic melanocytic tumors. The degree of improvement will be most substantial among pathologists with some background and experience in bioinformatics and melanoma genetics.

Interferon-gamma signature as prognostic and predictive marker in macroscopic stage III melanoma.

BACKGROUND: A substantial proportion of patients with macroscopic stage III melanoma do not benefit sufficiently from adjuvant anti-PD-1 therapy, as they either recur despite therapy or would never have recurred. To better inform adjuvant treatment selection, we have performed translational analyses to identify prognostic and predictive biomarkers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two cohorts of patients with macroscopic stage III melanoma from an ongoing biobank study were included. Clinical data were compared between an observation cohort (cohort 1) and an adjuvant intention cohort (cohort 2). RNA sequencing for translational analyses was performed and treatment subgroups (cohort 1A and cohort 2A) were compared for possible biomarkers, using a cut-off based on the treatment-naïve patients. In addition, two validation cohorts (Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) and University Medical Centre Utrecht (UMCU)) were obtained. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 26 months of the 98 patients in our discovery set, median recurrence-free survival (RFS) was significantly longer for the adjuvant intention cohort (cohort 2, n=49) versus the observation cohort (cohort 1, n=49). Median overall survival was not reached for either cohort, nor significantly different. In observation cohort 1A (n=24), RFS was significantly longer for patients with high interferon-gamma (IFNγ) score (p=0.002); for adjuvant patients of cohort 2A (n=24), a similar trend was observed (p=0.086). Patients with high B cell score had a longer RFS in cohort 1A, but no difference was seen in cohort 2A. The B cell score based on RNA correlated with CD20+ cells in tumor area but was not independent from the IFNγ score. In the MIA validation cohort (n=44), longer RFS was observed for patients with high IFNγ score compared with low IFNγ score (p=0.046), no difference in RFS was observed according to the B cell score. In both the observation (n=11) and the adjuvant (n=11) UMCU validation cohorts, no difference in RFS was seen for IFNγ and B cell. CONCLUSIONS: IFNγ has shown to be a prognostic marker in both patients who were and were not treated with adjuvant therapy. B cell score was prognostic but did not improve accuracy over IFNγ. Our study confirmed RFS benefit of adjuvant anti-PD-1 for patients with macroscopic stage III melanoma.

BRAF Mutated and Morphologically Spitzoid Tumors, a Subgroup of Melanocytic Neoplasms Difficult to Distinguish From True Spitz Neoplasms.

Drivers of Spitz neoplasms include activating point mutations in HRAS and Spitz-associated genomic fusions. It has become evident that some BRAF -mutated melanocytic neoplasms can morphologically mimic Spitz tumors (STs). These have been termed BRAF mutated and morphologically spitzoid (BAMS). In this study, 17 experts from the International Melanoma Pathology Study Group assessed 54 cases which included 40 BAMS and 14 true STs. The participants reviewed the cases blinded to the genomic data and selected among several diagnostic options, including BAMS, ST, melanoma, and other. A total of 38% of all diagnostic selections in the BAMS cases were for BAMS, whereas 32% were for ST. In 22 of the BAMS cases, the favored diagnosis was BAMS, whereas in 17 of the BAMS cases, the favored diagnosis was ST. Among the 20 cases in the total group of 54 with the highest number of votes for ST, half were BAMS. Of BAMS, 75% had a number of votes for ST that was within the SD of votes for ST seen among true ST cases. There was poor interobserver agreement for the precise diagnosis of the BAMS (kappa = 0.16) but good agreement that these cases were not melanoma (kappa = 0.7). BAMS nevi/tumors can closely mimic Spitz neoplasms. Expert melanoma pathologists in this study favored a diagnosis of ST in nearly half of the BAMS cases. There are BAMS cases that even experts cannot morphologically distinguish from true Spitz neoplasms.

Improving survival in advanced melanoma patients: a trend analysis from 2013 to 2021.

Background: The prognosis of advanced melanoma patients has significantly improved over the years. We aimed to evaluate the survival per year of diagnosis. Methods: All systemically treated patients diagnosed with advanced melanoma from 2013 to 2021 were included from the Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry. Baseline characteristics and overall survival (OS) were compared between the different years of diagnosis. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the association between year of diagnosis and OS. Findings: For this cohort study, we included 6260 systemically treated advanced melanoma patients. At baseline, there was an increase over the years in age, the percentage of patients with an ECOG PS ≥ 2, with brain metastases, and a synchronous diagnosis of primary and unresectable melanoma. Median OS increased from 11.2 months (95% CI 10.0-12.4) for patients diagnosed in 2013 to 32.0 months (95% CI 26.6-36.7) for patients diagnosed in 2019. Median OS was remarkably lower for patients diagnosed in 2020 (26.6 months; 95% CI 23.9-35.1) and 2021 (24.0 months; 95% CI 20.4-NR). Patients diagnosed in 2020 and 2021 had a higher hazard of death compared to patients diagnosed in 2019, although this was not significant. The multivariable Cox regression showed a lower hazard of death for the years of diagnosis after 2013. In contrast, patients diagnosed in 2020 and 2021 had a higher hazard of death compared to patients diagnosed in 2019. Interpretation: After a continuous survival improvement for advanced melanoma patients between 2013 and 2019, outcomes of patients diagnosed in 2020 and 2021 seem poorer. This trend of decreased survival remained after correcting for known prognostic factors and previous neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment, suggesting that it is explained by unmeasured factors, which-considering the timing-could be COVID-19-related. Funding: For the Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry (DMTR), the Dutch Institute for Clinical Auditing foundation received a start-up grant from governmental organization The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMW, project number 836002002). The DMTR is structurally funded by Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck Sharpe & Dohme, Novartis, and Roche Pharma. Roche Pharma stopped funding in 2019, and Pierre Fabre started funding the DMTR in 2019. For this work, no funding was granted.

BRAF/MEK inhibitor rechallenge in advanced melanoma patients.

BACKGROUND: Effectivity of BRAF(/MEK) inhibitor rechallenge has been described in prior studies. However, structured data are largely lacking. METHODS: Data from all advanced melanoma patients treated with BRAFi(/MEKi) rechallenge were retrieved from the Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry. The authors analyzed objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) for both first treatment and rechallenge. They performed a multivariable logistic regression and a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model to assess factors associated with response and survival. RESULTS: The authors included 468 patients in the largest cohort to date who underwent at least two treatment episodes of BRAFi(/MEKi). Following rechallenge, ORR was 43%, median PFS was 4.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.1-5.2), and median OS was 8.2 months (95% CI, 7.2-9.4). Median PFS after rechallenge for patients who discontinued first BRAFi(/MEKi) treatment due to progression was 3.1 months (95% CI, 2.7-4.0) versus 5.2 months (95% CI, 4.5-5.9) for patients who discontinued treatment for other reasons. Discontinuing first treatment due to progression and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels greater than two times the upper limit of normal were associated with lower odds of response and worse PFS and OS. Symptomatic brain metastases were associated with worse survival, whereas a longer treatment interval between first treatment and rechallenge was associated with better survival. Responding to the first BRAFi(/MEKi) treatment was not associated with response or survival. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that patients benefit from rechallenge. Elevated LDH levels, symptomatic brain metastases, and discontinuing first BRAFi(/MEKi) treatment due to progression are associated with less benefit from rechallenge. A prolonged treatment interval is associated with more benefit from rechallenge.

A prediction model for response to immune checkpoint inhibition in advanced melanoma.

Predicting who will benefit from treatment with immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) in patients with advanced melanoma is challenging. We developed a multivariable prediction model for response to ICI, using routinely available clinical data including primary melanoma characteristics. We used a population-based cohort of 3525 patients with advanced cutaneous melanoma treated with anti-PD-1-based therapy. Our prediction model for predicting response within 6 months after ICI initiation was internally validated with bootstrap resampling. Performance evaluation included calibration, discrimination and internal-external cross-validation. Included patients received anti-PD-1 monotherapy (n = 2366) or ipilimumab plus nivolumab (n = 1159) in any treatment line. The model included serum lactate dehydrogenase, World Health Organization performance score, type and line of ICI, disease stage and time to first distant recurrence-all at start of ICI-, and location and type of primary melanoma, the presence of satellites and/or in-transit metastases at primary diagnosis and sex. The over-optimism adjusted area under the receiver operating characteristic was 0.66 (95% CI: 0.64-0.66). The range of predicted response probabilities was 7%-81%. Based on these probabilities, patients were categorized into quartiles. Compared to the lowest response quartile, patients in the highest quartile had a significantly longer median progression-free survival (20.0 vs 2.8 months; P < .001) and median overall survival (62.0 vs 8.0 months; P < .001). Our prediction model, based on routinely available clinical variables and primary melanoma characteristics, predicts response to ICI in patients with advanced melanoma and discriminates well between treated patients with a very good and very poor prognosis.

A Survival Tree of Advanced Melanoma Patients with Brain Metastases Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

The efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with advanced melanoma that develop brain metastases (BM) remains unpredictable. In this study, we aimed to identify prognostic factors in patients with melanoma BM who are treated with ICIs. Data from advanced melanoma patients with BM treated with ICIs in any line between 2013 and 2020 were obtained from the Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry. Patients were included from the time of the treatment of BM with ICIs. Survival tree analysis was performed with clinicopathological parameters as potential classifiers and overall survival (OS) as the response variable. In total, 1278 patients were included. Most patients were treated with ipilimumab-nivolumab combination therapy (45%). The survival tree analysis resulted in 31 subgroups. The median OS ranged from 2.7 months to 35.7 months. The strongest clinical parameter associated with survival in advanced melanoma patients with BM was the serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level. Patients with elevated LDH levels and symptomatic BM had the worst prognosis. The clinicopathological classifiers identified in this study can contribute to optimizing clinical studies and can aid doctors in giving an indication of the patients' survival based on their baseline and disease characteristics.

Response to checkpoint inhibition and targeted therapy in melanoma patients with concurrent haematological malignancies.

BACKGROUND: Patients diagnosed with haematologic malignancies (HMs) have a higher risk of developing subsequent solid tumours, such as melanoma. Patients with HM were mostly excluded from clinical trials but potentially derive less benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) due to disease- or treatment-related T- or B-cell dysfunction. METHODS: All advanced melanoma patients treated with anti-PD-1-based treatment or targeted therapy between 2015 and 2021 were included from the prospective nationwide Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry. Progression-free survival (PFS) and melanoma-specific survival (MSS) were analysed for patients with HM (HM+) and without HM (HM-). A cox model was used to account for confounders associated with PFS and MSS. RESULTS: In total, 4638 advanced melanoma patients received first-line anti-PD-1 monotherapy (n = 1763), ipilimumab-nivolumab (n = 800), or BRAF(/MEK) inhibitors (n = 2075). Concurrent HMs were present for 46 anti-PD1-treated patients, 11 ipilimumab-nivolumab-treated patients and 43 BRAF(/MEK)-inhibitor-treated patients. In anti-PD-1-treated patients, the median PFS was 2.8 months for HM+ and 9.9 months for HM- (p = 0.01). MSS was 41.2 months for HM+ and 58.1 months for HM- (p = 0.00086). In multivariable analysis, the presence of an HM was significantly associated with higher risk of melanoma progression (HRadj 1.62; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.15-2.29; p = 0.006) and melanoma-related death (HRadj 1.74; 95% CI 1.09-2.78; p = 0.020). Median PFS and MSS for first-line BRAF(/MEK-) inhibitor-treated HM+ and HM- patients were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with HM and advanced melanoma show significantly worse melanoma-related outcomes when treated with ICI, but not targeted therapy, compared to patients without HM. Clinicians should be aware of potentially altered effectiveness of ICI in patients with active HM.

CT radiomics compared to a clinical model for predicting checkpoint inhibitor treatment outcomes in patients with advanced melanoma.

INTRODUCTION: Predicting checkpoint inhibitors treatment outcomes in melanoma is a relevant task, due to the unpredictable and potentially fatal toxicity and high costs for society. However, accurate biomarkers for treatment outcomes are lacking. Radiomics are a technique to quantitatively capture tumour characteristics on readily available computed tomography (CT) imaging. The purpose of this study was to investigate the added value of radiomics for predicting clinical benefit from checkpoint inhibitors in melanoma in a large, multicenter cohort. METHODS: Patients who received first-line anti-PD1±anti-CTLA4 treatment for advanced cutaneous melanoma were retrospectively identified from nine participating hospitals. For every patient, up to five representative lesions were segmented on baseline CT, and radiomics features were extracted. A machine learning pipeline was trained on the radiomics features to predict clinical benefit, defined as stable disease for more than 6 months or response per RECIST 1.1 criteria. This approach was evaluated using a leave-one-centre-out cross validation and compared to a model based on previously discovered clinical predictors. Lastly, a combination model was built on the radiomics and clinical model. RESULTS: A total of 620 patients were included, of which 59.2% experienced clinical benefit. The radiomics model achieved an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.607 [95% CI, 0.562-0.652], lower than that of the clinical model (AUROC=0.646 [95% CI, 0.600-0.692]). The combination model yielded no improvement over the clinical model in terms of discrimination (AUROC=0.636 [95% CI, 0.592-0.680]) or calibration. The output of the radiomics model was significantly correlated with three out of five input variables of the clinical model (p < 0.001). DISCUSSION: The radiomics model achieved a moderate predictive value of clinical benefit, which was statistically significant. However, a radiomics approach was unable to add value to a simpler clinical model, most likely due to the overlap in predictive information learned by both models. Future research should focus on the application of deep learning, spectral CT-derived radiomics, and a multimodal approach for accurately predicting benefit to checkpoint inhibitor treatment in advanced melanoma.

[Melanocytoma, an intermediate entity between nevus and melanoma: implications of the WHO classification of melanocytic skin tumours]. / Melanocytoom, intermediair tussen naevus en melanoom.

The WHO classification of melanocytic skin tumours published in 2018 describes a new classification with nine different pathways based on molecular driver mutations, localization, clinical context and solar damage. The dichotomous concept of benign (nevus) versus malignant (melanoma) is replaced by a gradual concept starting with a benign nevus with progression into low to high grade intermediate melanocytic lesions, called melanocytoma, and ending at melanoma. The current European recommendation is (re-)excision with 2-5mm margin of low grade melanocytoma and with 5-10mm margin of high grade melanocytoma. Low grade melanocytoma needs no follow-up. For high grade melanocytoma a follow-up for at least 5 years every 6 months is recommended. Routine sentinel node procedure is not indicated. If diagnosis melanoma cannot be ruled out the lesions have to be treated as melanoma. Correct classification of a melanocytoma is a diagnostic challenge, but of high importance for therapeutic choices and prognosis.

Adjuvant treatment of in-transit melanoma: Narrowing the knowledge gap left by clinical trials.

Few clinical trials address efficacy of adjuvant systemic treatment in patients with in-transit melanoma (ITM). This study describes adjuvant systemic therapy of ITM patients beyond clinical trials. In this study, we included stage III adjuvant-treated melanoma patients registered in the nationwide Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry between July 2018 and December 2020. Patients were divided into three groups: nodal disease only, ITM only and ITM and nodal disease. Recurrence patterns, recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) at 12-months were analyzed. In our study population of 1037 patients, 66.8% had nodal disease only, 16.7% had ITM only and 16.2% had ITM with nodal disease. RFS at 12-months was comparable in the nodal only and ITM only group (72.2% vs70.1%, P = .97) but lower in ITM and nodal disease patients (57.8%; P = .01, P < .01). Locoregional metastases occurred as first recurrence in 38.9% nodal disease only, 71.9% of ITM-only and 44.0% of ITM and nodal disease patients. Distant recurrences occurred in 42.3%, 18.8% and 36.0%, respectively (P = .02). 12-months OS was not significantly different for nodal disease only patients compared with ITM-only (94.4% vs 97.6%, P = .06) but was significantly higher for ITM-only compared with ITM and nodal disease patients (97.6% vs 91.0%, P < .01). In conclusion, we showed that in the adjuvant setting, RFS rates in ITM-only patients are similar to non-ITM, though better than in ITM and nodal disease patients. Adjuvant-treated ITM-only patients less often experience distant recurrences and have a superior OS compared with ITM and nodal disease patients.

Time interval from primary melanoma to first distant recurrence in relation to patient outcomes in advanced melanoma.

Since the introduction of BRAF(/MEK) inhibition and immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI), the prognosis of advanced melanoma has greatly improved. Melanoma is known for its remarkably long time to first distant recurrence (TFDR), which can be decades in some patients and is partly attributed to immune-surveillance. We investigated the relationship between TFDR and patient outcomes after systemic treatment for advanced melanoma. We selected patients undergoing first-line systemic therapy for advanced melanoma from the nationwide Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry. The association between TFDR and progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was assessed by Cox proportional hazard regression models. The TFDR was modeled categorically, linearly, and flexibly using restricted cubic splines. Patients received anti-PD-1-based treatment (n = 1844) or BRAF(/MEK) inhibition (n = 1618). For ICI-treated patients with a TFDR <2 years, median OS was 25.0 months, compared to 37.3 months for a TFDR >5 years (P = .014). Patients treated with BRAF(/MEK) inhibition with a longer TFDR also had a significantly longer median OS (8.6 months for TFDR <2 years compared to 11.1 months for >5 years, P = .004). The hazard of dying rapidly decreased with increasing TFDR until approximately 5 years (HR 0.87), after which the hazard of dying further decreased with increasing TFDR, but less strongly (HR 0.82 for a TFDR of 10 years and HR 0.79 for a TFDR of 15 years). Results were similar when stratifying for type of treatment. Advanced melanoma patients with longer TFDR have a prolonged PFS and OS, irrespective of being treated with first-line ICI or targeted therapy.

Adjuvant BRAF-MEK Inhibitors versus Anti PD-1 Therapy in Stage III Melanoma: A Propensity-Matched Outcome Analysis.

Adjuvant BRAF/MEK- and anti-PD-1 inhibition have significantly improved recurrence-free survival (RFS) compared to placebo in resected stage III BRAF-mutant melanoma. However, data beyond the clinical trial setting are limited. This study describes the toxicity and survival of patients treated with adjuvant BRAF/MEK inhibitors and compares outcomes to adjuvant anti-PD-1. For this study, stage III BRAF V600 mutant cutaneous melanoma patients treated with adjuvant BRAF/MEK-inhibition or anti-PD-1 were identified from the Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry. BRAF/MEK- and anti-PD-1-treated patients were matched based on propensity scores, and RFS at 12 and 18 months were estimated. Between 1 July 2018 and 31 December 2021, 717 patients were identified. Of these, 114 patients with complete records were treated with BRAF/MEK therapy and 532 with anti-PD-1. Comorbidities (p = 0.04) and geographical region (p < 0.01) were associated with treatment choice. In 45.6% of BRAF/MEK-treated patients, treatment was prematurely discontinued. Grade ≥ 3 toxicity occurred in 11.5% of patients and was the most common cause of early discontinuation (71.1%). At 12 and 18 months, RFS in BRAF/MEK-treated patients was 85% and 70%, compared to 68% and 68% in matched anti-PD-1-treated patients (p = 0.03). In conclusion, comorbidities and geographical region determine the choice of adjuvant treatment in patients with resected stage III BRAF-mutant melanoma. With the currently limited follow-up, BRAF/MEK-treated patients have better RFS at 12 months than matched anti-PD-1-treated patients, but this difference is no longer observed at 18 months. Therefore, longer follow-up data are necessary to estimate long-term effectiveness.

Is a History of Optimal Staging by Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in the Era Prior to Adjuvant Therapy Associated with Improved Outcome Once Melanoma Patients have Progressed to Advanced Disease?

INTRODUCTION: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is important for staging in patients with primary cutaneous melanoma. Did having previously undergone SLNB also affect outcomes in patients once they have progressed to metastatic melanoma in the era prior to adjuvant therapy? METHODS: Data were retrieved from the Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry, a prospectively collected, nationwide database of patients with unresectable stage IIIC or IV (advanced) melanoma between 2012 and 2018. Melanoma-specific survival (MSS) was compared between patients with advanced cutaneous melanoma, previously treated with a wide local excision (WLE) or WLE combined with SLNB as initial treatment of their primary tumor. Cox regression analyses were used to analyze the influence of different variables on MSS. RESULTS: In total, 2581 patients were included, of whom 1412 were treated with a WLE of the primary tumor alone and 1169 in whom this was combined with SLNB. At a median follow-up of 44 months from diagnosis of advanced melanoma, MSS was significantly longer in patients who had previously undergone SLNB {median 23 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 19-29) vs. 18 months (95% CI 15-20) for patients treated with WLE alone; p = 0.002}. However, multivariate Cox regression did not identify SLNB as an independent favorable prognostic factor for MSS after diagnosis of advanced melanoma. CONCLUSION: Prior to the availability of adjuvant systemic therapy, once patients have unresectable stage IIIC or IV (advanced) melanoma, there was no difference in disease outcome for patients who were or were not previously staged with SLNB.

PRAME Staining in Sinonasal Mucosal Melanoma: A Single-Center Experience.

BACKGROUND: Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (MM) is a rare, aggressive melanoma subtype. Complete surgical excision, with or without adjuvant radiotherapy, remains the cornerstone of treatment and yields adequate locoregional control. Metastatic MM is managed similarly to metastatic cutaneous melanoma but with poorer survival. PReferentially expressed Antigen in MElanoma (PRAME) has been identified as a potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic target in the treatment of cutaneous melanoma. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the clinical characteristics and immunohistochemical features of all sinonasal MM patients referred to the department of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, UMC Utrecht Cancer Center, between 2011 and 2021 was performed. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and next-generation sequencing (NGS) were performed in selected cases. RESULTS: A total of 26 patients with an MM were included. The median follow-up duration was 15 months. At the end of follow-up, 13 patients had died due to progression of their disease, and one patient died of intercurrent disease. PRAME immunohistochemistry was performed in 23 out of 26 cases, all displaying PRAME expression. In two cases PRAME expression was present both within the melanoma cells and in melanocytes in adjacent mucosa. SNP array showed ≥ 5 copy number variants (CNV) in all tested cases, with a median of 29.5 CNVs (IQR 23.25-40). The three most common mutations identified by NGS were NRAS (7 cases) and NF1 (2 cases). CONCLUSION: We show that expression of PRAME is common in sinonasal MM, making PRAME a useful ancillary diagnostic tool and a potential therapeutic target in sinonasal MM. The demonstrated occurrence of extensive presence of PRAME-positive melanocytes in the surrounding mucosa of sinonasal MM might explain the multifocal nature of melanoma in the (sinonasal) mucosa, and would be an extra argument for a PRAME targeting treatment in preventing local disease recurrence.