Intradermal naked DNA vaccination by DNA tattooing for mounting tumor-specific immunity in stage IV melanoma patients: a phase I clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Naked DNA vaccination could be a powerful and safe strategy to mount antigen-specific cellular immunity. We designed a phase I clinical trial to investigate the toxicity of naked DNA vaccines encoding CD8+ T-cell epitope from tumor-associated antigen MART-1 in patients with advanced melanoma. METHODS: This dose escalating phase Ia clinical trial investigates the toxicity and immunological response upon naked DNA vaccines encoding a CD8+ T-cell epitope from the tumor-associated antigen MART-1, genetically linked to the gene encoding domain 1 of subunit-tetanus toxin fragment C in patients with advanced melanoma (inoperable stage IIIC-IV, AJCC 7th edition). The vaccine was administrated via intradermal application using a permanent make-up or tattoo device. Safety was monitored according to CTCAE v.3.0 and skin biopsies and blood samples were obtained for immunologic monitoring. RESULTS: Nine pretreated, HLA-A*0201-positive patients with advanced melanoma expressing MART-1 and MHC class I, with a good performance status, and adequate organ function, were included. With a median follow-up of 5.9 months, DNA vaccination was safe, without treatment-related deaths. Common treatment-emergent adverse events of any grade were dermatologic reactions at the vaccination site (100%) and pain (56%). One patient experienced grade 4 toxicity, most likely related to tumor progression. One patient (11%) achieved stable disease, lasting 353 days. Immune analysis showed no increase in vaccine-induced T cell response in peripheral blood of five patients, but did show a MART-1 specific CD8+ T cell response at the tattoo administration site. The maximum dose administered was 2 mg due to lack of clinical activity. CONCLUSION: We showed that the developed DNA vaccine, applied using a novel intradermal application strategy, can be administered safely. Further research with improved vaccine formats is required to show possible clinical benefit of DNA vaccination.

Cost-effectiveness of treating advanced melanoma with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes based on an international randomized phase 3 clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: In a multicenter, open-label randomized phase 3 clinical trial conducted in the Netherlands and Denmark, treatment with ex vivo-expanded tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL-NKI/CCIT) from autologous melanoma tumor compared with ipilimumab improved progression-free survival in patients with unresectable stage IIIC-IV melanoma after failure of first-line or second-line treatment. Based on this trial, we conducted a cost-utility analysis. METHODS: A Markov decision model was constructed to estimate expected costs (expressed in 2021€) and outcomes (quality-adjusted life years (QALYs)) of TIL-NKI/CCIT versus ipilimumab in the Netherlands. The Danish setting was assessed in a scenario analysis. A modified societal perspective was applied over a lifetime horizon. TIL-NKI/CCIT production costs were estimated via activity-based costing. Through sensitivity analyses, uncertainties and their impact on the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were assessed. RESULTS: Mean total undiscounted lifetime benefits were 4.47 life years (LYs) and 3.52 QALYs for TIL-NKI/CCIT and 3.33 LYs and 2.46 QALYs for ipilimumab. Total lifetime undiscounted costs in the Netherlands were €347,168 for TIL-NKI/CCIT (including €67,547 for production costs) compared with €433,634 for ipilimumab. Undiscounted lifetime cost in the Danish scenario were €337,309 and €436,135, respectively. This resulted in a dominant situation for TIL-NKI/CCIT compared with ipilimumab in both countries, meaning incremental QALYs were gained at lower costs. Survival probabilities, and utility in progressive disease affected the ICER most. CONCLUSION: Based on the data of a randomized phase 3 trial, treatment with TIL-NKI/CCIT in patients with unresectable stage IIIC-IV melanoma is cost-effective and cost-saving, both in the current Dutch and Danish setting. These findings led to inclusion of TIL-NKI/CCIT as insured care and treatment guidelines. Publicly funded development of the TIL-NKI/CCIT cell therapy shows realistic promise to further explore development of effective personalized treatment while warranting economic sustainability of healthcare systems.

Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Therapy or Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma.

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 5×109 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<0.001); 49% (95% CI, 38 to 60) and 21% (95% CI, 13 to 32) of the patients, respectively, had an objective response. Median overall survival was 25.8 months (95% CI, 18.2 to not reached) in the TIL group and 18.9 months (95% CI, 13.8 to 32.6) in the ipilimumab group. Treatment-related adverse events of grade 3 or higher occurred in all patients who received TILs and in 57% of those who received ipilimumab; in the TIL group, these events were mainly chemotherapy-related myelosuppression. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with advanced melanoma, progression-free survival was significantly longer among those who received TIL therapy than among those who received ipilimumab. (Funded by the Dutch Cancer Society and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02278887.).

Neoadjuvant nivolumab + T-VEC combination therapy for resectable early stage or metastatic (IIIB-IVM1a) melanoma with injectable disease: study protocol of the NIVEC trial.

BACKGROUND: Trials investigating neoadjuvant treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in patients with melanoma have shown high clinical and pathologic response rates. Treatment with talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC), a modified herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1), is approved for patients with unresectable stage IIIB-IVM1a melanoma and has the potential to make tumors more susceptible for 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 neoadjuvant setting. METHODS: This single center, single arm, phase II study aims to show an improved major pathologic complete response (pCR) rate, either pCR or near-pCR, up to 45% in 24 patients with resectable stage IIIB-IVM1a melanoma upon neoadjuvant combination treatment with intralesional T-VEC and systemic nivolumab (anti-PD-1 antibody). Patients will receive four courses of T-VEC up to 4 mL (first dose as seroconversion dose) and three doses of nivolumab (240 mg flatdose) every 2 weeks, followed by surgical resection in week nine. The primary endpoint of this trial is pathologic response rate. Secondary endpoints are safety, 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. DISCUSSION: Intralesional T-VEC has the capacity to heighten the immune response and to elicit an abscopal effect in melanoma in combination with ICI. However, the potential clinical benefit of T-VEC plus ICI in the neoadjuvant setting remains unknown. This is the first trial investigating the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant treatment of T-VEC and nivolumab followed by surgical resection in patients with stage IIIB-IVM1a melanoma, with the potential of high pathologic response rates and acceptable toxicity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered in the European Union Drug Regulating Authorities Clinical Trials Database (EudraCT- number: 2019-001911-22 ) and the Central Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects (NL71866.000.19) on 4th June 2020. Secondary identifying number: NCT04330430 .

Differential effects of PD-1 and CTLA-4 blockade on the melanoma-reactive CD8 T cell response.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) have revolutionized the treatment of melanoma patients. Based on early studies addressing the mechanism of action, it was assumed that PD-1 blockade mostly influences T cell responses at the tumor site. However, recent work has demonstrated that PD-1 blockade can influence the T cell compartment in peripheral blood. If the activation of circulating, tumor-reactive T cells would form an important mechanism of action of PD-1 blockade, it may be predicted that such blockade would alter either the frequency and/or the breadth of the tumor-reactive CD8 T cell response. To address this question, we analyzed CD8 T cell responses toward 71 melanoma-associated epitopes in peripheral blood of 24 melanoma patients. We show that both the frequency and the breadth of the circulating melanoma-reactive CD8 T cell response was unaltered upon PD-1 blockade. In contrast, a broadening of the circulating melanoma-reactive CD8 T cell response was observed upon CTLA-4 blockade, in concordance with our prior data. Based on these results, we conclude that PD-1 and CTLA-4 blockade have distinct mechanisms of action. In addition, the data provide an argument in favor of the hypothesis that anti-PD-1 therapy may primarily act at the tumor site.

Neoadjuvant Cytoreductive Treatment With BRAF/MEK Inhibition of Prior Unresectable Regionally Advanced Melanoma to Allow Complete Surgical Resection, REDUCTOR: A Prospective, Single-arm, Open-label Phase II Trial.

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.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss After Adoptive Cell Immunotherapy for Melanoma Using MART-1 Specific T Cells: A Case Report and Its Pathophysiology.

OBJECTIVE: To illustrate a case of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) after immunotherapy based on T cell receptor (TCR) gene therapy using modified T cells recognizing melanoma antigen recognized by T cells 1 for disseminated melanoma. PATIENT: We present a 59-year-old woman with profound subacute bilateral SNHL including unilateral deafness after immunotherapy based on TCR gene therapy using modified T cells recognizing melanoma antigen recognized by T cells 1 for disseminated melanoma. Ten days after treatment, the patient developed hearing loss of 57 dB hearing loss air conduction at pure-tone average 0.5-1-2-4 kHz in the right ear, and >100 dB hearing loss air conduction at pure-tone average 0.5-1-2-4 in the left ear. The right ear recovered partially, while the left ear remained deaf, despite oral prednisolone (1.0 mg/kg) and salvage treatment with three transtympanic injections of 0.5 ml dexamethasone (4.0 mg/ml). CONCLUSION: Based on our presented case and a vast amount of literature there is circumstantial evidence that TCR gene therapy for melanoma targets the perivascular macrophage-like melanocytes in the stria vascularis, resulting in SNHL. We suggest that SNHL after TCR gene therapy may be caused by a disruption of the blood-labyrinth-barrier and the endolymphatic potential and/or a sterile inflammation of the stria vascularis. In severe cases like our subject, we posit that endolymphatic hydrops or hair cell loss may cause irreversible and asymmetrical deafness. Steroid prophylaxis via transtympanic application is debatable.

Adoptive cellular therapies: the current landscape.

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.

Adoptive transfer of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in melanoma: a viable treatment option.

The treatment of metastatic melanoma patients with autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) shows robust, reproducible, clinical responses in clinical trials executed in several specialized centers over the world. Even in the era of targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibition, TIL therapy can be an additional and clinically relevant treatment line. This review provides an overview of the clinical experiences with TIL therapy thus far, including lymphodepleting regimens, the use of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and the associated toxicity. Characteristics of the TIL products and the antigen recognition pattern will be discussed, as well as the current and upcoming production strategies, including the selective expansion of specific fractions from the cell product. In addition, the future potential of TIL therapy in melanoma and other tumor types will be covered.

Severe Neonatal Anaemia, MRI Findings and Neurodevelopmental Outcome.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Severe neonatal anaemia can impair cerebral oxygen supply. Data on long-term outcomes following severe neonatal anaemia are scarce. METHODS: Clinical data and neurodevelopmental outcome of 49 (near) term infants with haemoglobin concentration after birth <6.0 mmol/l were retrospectively collected and analysed. In a subgroup of 28 patients, amplitude-integrated EEG was available and in 25 infants cerebral MRI was obtained. Infants were followed up at 14-35 months of age and assessed with the Griffiths Scale of Mental Development or Bayley Scale of Infant Development. RESULTS: Eighteen patients (37%) died during the neonatal period. In 25 patients MRI was performed. A predominant pattern of injury on MRI was seen in the basal ganglia and thalami in 7 patients (28%), whereas some form of white matter injury was present in 16 (64%) and a combination in 3 (12%). Follow-up data were available for 26 patients (84% of survivors). Formal assessment of neurodevelopmental outcome was performed in 20 of 31 (65%) infants who survived (median age: 19 months, range: 14-35). Sixteen infants (80%) had a developmental quotient appropriate for age in the first 2 years after birth. On motor outcome, 1 patient (5%) scored below average (Z-score -1.10). One patient developed cerebral palsy. CONCLUSION: Early neurodevelopmental outcome in surviving patients with severe neonatal anaemia was within the normal range in the majority of the survivors. MRI showed mild-to-moderate white matter injury in two thirds of the infants. Prospectively collected data with a longer follow-up period are needed.