Immune checkpoint blockade with concurrent electrochemotherapy in advanced melanoma: a retrospective multicenter analysis

Heppt, Markus V.; Eigentler, Thomas K.; Kähler, Katharina C.; Herbst, Rudolf A.; Göppner, Daniela; Gambichler, Thilo; Ulrich, Jens; Dippel, Edgar; Loquai, Carmen; Schell, Beatrice; Schilling, Bastian; Schäd, Susanne G.; Schultz, Erwin S.; Matheis, Fanny; Tietze, Julia K. und Berking, Carola (2016): Immune checkpoint blockade with concurrent electrochemotherapy in advanced melanoma: a retrospective multicenter analysis. In: Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy, Bd. 65, Nr. 8: S. 951-959

Abstract

Growing evidence suggests that concurrent loco-regional and systemic treatment modalities may lead to synergistic anti-tumor effects in advanced melanoma. In this retrospective multicenter study, we evaluate the use of electrochemotherapy (ECT) combined with ipilimumab or PD-1 inhibition. We investigated patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma who received the combination of ECT and immune checkpoint blockade for distant or cutaneous metastases within 4 weeks. Clinical and laboratory data were collected and analyzed with respect to safety and efficacy. A total of 33 patients from 13 centers were identified with a median follow-up time of 9 months. Twenty-eight patients received ipilimumab, while five patients were treated with a PD-1 inhibitor (pembrolizumab n = 3, nivolumab n = 2). The local overall response rate (ORR) was 66.7 %. The systemic ORR was 19.2 and 40.0 % in the ipilimumab and PD-1 cohort, respectively. The median duration of response was not reached in either group. The median time to disease progression was 2.5 months for the entire population with 2 months for ipilimumab and 5 months for PD-1 blockade. The median overall survival was not reached in patients with ipilimumab and 15 months in the PD-1 group. Severe systemic adverse events were detected in 25.0 % in the ipilimumab group. No treatment-related deaths were observed. This is the first reported evaluation of ECT and simultaneous PD-1 inhibition and the largest published dataset on ECT with concurrent ipilimumab. The local response was lower than reported for ECT only. Ipilimumab combined with ECT was feasible, tolerable and showed a high systemic response rate.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Medizin
• Themengebiete: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
• ISSN: 0340-7004
• Sprache: Englisch