Not Waiting to Progress; How the COVID-19 Pandemic Nudged Neoadjuvant Therapy for Stage III Locally Advanced Melanoma Patients.

Background: Early-phase neoadjuvant trials have demonstrated promising results in the utility of upfront immunotherapy in locally advanced stage III melanoma and unresected nodal disease. Secondary to these results and the COVID-19 pandemic, this patient population, traditionally managed through surgical resection and adjuvant immunotherapy, received a novel treatment strategy of neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). Methods: Patients with node-positive disease, who faced surgical delays secondary to COVID-19, were treated with NAT, followed by surgery. Demographic, tumour, treatment and response data were collected through a retrospective chart review. Biopsy specimens were analysed prior to the initiation of NAT, and therapy response was analysed following surgical resection. NAT tolerability was recorded. Results: Six patients were included in this case series; four were treated with nivolumab alone, one with ipilimumab and nivolumab and one with dabrafenib and trametinib. Twenty-two incidents of adverse events were reported, with the majority (90.9%) being classified as grade one or two. All patients underwent surgical resection: three out of six patients following two NAT cycles, two following three cycles and one following six cycles. Surgically resected samples were histopathologically evaluated for the presence of disease. Five out of six patients (83%) had ≤1 positive lymph node. One patient showed extracapsular extension. Four patients demonstrated complete pathological response; two had persisting viable tumour cells. Conclusions: In this case series, we outlined how in response to surgical delays secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic, NAT was successfully applied to achieve promising treatment response in patients with locally advanced stage III melanoma.

Mechanical Circulatory Support as a Bridge to Lung Transplantation: A Single Canadian Institution Review.

BACKGROUND: Lung transplant (LTx) waitlists continue to grow internationally. Consequently, more patients are progressing to require mechanical circulatory support (MCS) as a bridge to transplantation (BTT). MCS strategies include interventional lung assist (iLA) and venovenous (VV) and venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). We review our series of patients bridged with MCS while listed for LTx. METHODS: All consecutive patients, listed for LTx requiring MCS as a BTT at the University of Alberta from 2004 to 2015, were included. Patient demographics and outcomes were compared for the 3 groups (iLA, VV-ECMO, and VA-ECMO). RESULTS: Of the 24 patients supported with MCS devices, 17 were successfully transplanted and 7 died waiting. In total, 25% (n = 6) were bridged with VA-ECMO, 54% (n = 13) with VV-ECMO, and 21% (n = 5) with iLA. Overall, 71% of patients were bridged successfully to LTx. The 1-year survival posttransplantation was 88%. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated the feasibility of utilizing the MCS modalities of VA-ECMO, VV-ECMO, and most recently iLA, as a BTT. MCS is a viable strategy for BTT, offering improved survival outcomes for decompensating adult patients awaiting LTx, resulting in excellent survival posttransplantation.

Lung transplantation from donors after circulatory death using portable ex vivo lung perfusion.

BACKGROUND: Donation after circulatory death is a novel method of increasing the number of donor lungs available for transplantation. Using organs from donors after circulatory death has the potential to increase the number of transplants performed. METHODS: Three bilateral lung transplants from donors after circulatory death were performed over a six-month period. Following organ retrieval, all sets of lungs were placed on a portable ex vivo lung perfusion device for evaluation and preservation. RESULTS: Lung function remained stable during portable ex vivo perfusion, with improvement in partial pressure of oxygen/fraction of inspired oxygen ratios. Mechanical ventilation was discontinued within 48 h for each recipient and no patient stayed in the intensive care unit longer than eight days. There was no postgraft dysfunction at 72 h in two of the three recipients. Ninety-day mortality for all recipients was 0% and all maintain excellent forced expiratory volume in 1 s and forced vital capacity values post-transplantation. CONCLUSION: The authors report excellent results with their initial experience using donors after circulatory death after portable ex vivo lung perfusion. It is hoped this will allow for the most efficient use of available donor lungs, leading to more transplants and fewer deaths for potential recipients on wait lists.