"Heterogeneity of treatment effect on patients' long-term outcome according to pathological response type in neoadjuvant RCTs for breast cancer."

INTRODUCTION: To provide evidence explaining the poor association between pCR and patients' long-term outcome at trial-level in neoadjuvant RCTs for breast cancer (BC), we performed a systematic-review and meta-analysis of all RCTs testing neoadjuvant treatments for early-BC and reporting the hazard ratio of DFS (HRDFS) for the intervention versus control arm stratified by pathological response type (i.e., pCR yes versus no). METHODS: The objective was to explore differences of treatment effects on DFS across patients with and without pCR. We calculated the pooled HRDFS in the two strata of pathological response (i.e., pCR yes versus no) using a random-effects model, and assessed the difference between these two estimates using an interaction test. RESULTS: Ten RCTs and 8496 patients were included in the analysis. Patients obtaining pCR in the intervention-arm had a higher, although not statistically significant, risk of DFS-event as compared with patients obtaining pCR in the control-arm: the pooled HRDFS for the experimental versus control arm was 1.23 (95%CI, 0.91-1.65). On the opposite, the risk of DFS-event was higher for control as compared with the intervention-arm in the stratum of patients without pCR: the pooled HRDFS was 0.86 (95%CI, 0.78-0.95). Treatment effect on DFS was significantly different according to pathological response type (interaction test p: 0.014). CONCLUSION: We reported new evidence that contributes to explaining the poor surrogacy value of pCR at trial-level in neoadjuvant RCTs for early-BC.

Fine-Tuning Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer: An Expert Consensus on Open Issues for Future Research.

After decades of research, improving the efficacy of adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) for early-stage breast cancer becomes increasingly difficult. Beyond technological breakthroughs and the availability of new classes of drugs, further improvement of adjuvant ET will require applying a rigorous research approach in poorly investigated areas. We critically discuss some key principles that should inform future research to improve ET efficacy, including identifying specific subgroups of patients who can benefit from escalating or de-escalating approaches, optimizing available and new treatment strategies for different clinical contexts, and dissecting the direct and indirect biological effects of therapeutic interventions. Four main issues regarding adjuvant ET were identified as relevant areas, where a better application of such principles can provide positive results in the near future: (i) tailoring the optimal duration of adjuvant ET, (ii) optimizing ovarian function suppression for premenopausal women, (iii) dissecting the biological effects of estrogen receptor manipulation, and (iv) refining the selection of patients to candidate for treatments escalation.

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors in anal squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA) is a rare tumor. While most patients with locally advanced disease are cured with chemo-radiotherapy, about a quarter eventually experience metastatic recurrence. Standard treatment for advanced disease is chemotherapy, but recently evidence on the activity of immunotherapy has been reported. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective trials testing immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with SCCA. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the overall response rate (ORR) and the disease control rate (DCR) of ICIs in patients with advanced SCCA. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Scopus, through December 31, 2022, for prospective trials assessing ICIs in patients with advanced SCCA. The primary and secondary endpoints were respectively ORR and DCR. RESULTS: Six prospective trials were included in the analysis, one of which was randomized. Overall, seven treatment arms and 347 patients have been analyzed. Five treatment arms tested ICIs as monotherapy and two arms examined ICIs in combination with cetuximab and bevacizumab, respectively. The pooled ORR was 13% (95%CI, 10%-17%), with a DCR of 57% (95%CI, 40%-74%). Results did not change in a sensitivity analysis, which excluded the two treatment arms testing the combination of ICIs with other drugs. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of ICIs in SCCAs is low. Combination strategies with targeted drugs or chemotherapy might represent a better therapeutic strategy for these patients. Further studies are awaited to identify resistance mechanisms to ICIs and optimize their efficacy.

Improved outcomes in women with BRAF-mutant melanoma treated with BRAF/MEK-targeted therapy across randomized clinical trials. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Available evidence suggests that in patients with advanced BRAF V600-mutant melanoma treated with the combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors, gender could be associated with survival outcome. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of all randomized clinical trials (RCTs) testing the combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors, to assess the interaction between treatment effect and patients' gender. We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus, for phase II and III RCTs up to January 30, 2022. We included all RCTs that enrolled patients with BRAF V600-mutant advanced cutaneous melanoma and assessed combinations of BRAF and MEK inhibitors versus BRAF inhibitor monotherapy. Our aim was to assess differences if any in treatment efficacy between men and women, measured in terms of the differences in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) log-hazard ratios (log-HRs). We calculated the pooled PFS- and OS-HRs with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in men and women using a random-effects model and assessed the heterogeneity between the estimates using an interaction test. Five RCTs that enrolled a total of 2,113 patients were included in the analysis. In women, the combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors halved the risk of progression or death as compared with BRAF inhibitor monotherapy with a pooled PFS-HR of 0.50 (95%CI 0.41-0.61). In men, the benefit obtained with BRAF and MEK inhibitors was smaller with a pooled PFS-HR of 0.63 (95%CI 0.54-0.74), P-heterogeneity = .05. A similar trend was observed for OS where the pooled OS-HR was 0.62 (95%CI 0.48-0.80) in women and only 0.78, (95%CI 0.67-0.92) in men, P-heterogeneity = 0.11. These results support meaningful gender-based heterogeneity of response to combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors targeted therapy in patients with advanced BRAF-mutant melanoma, that should be considered in future research to improve treatment effectiveness.

Exon-18-EGFR Mutated Transformed Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) transformation from EGFR mutant adenocarcinoma is a rare entity that is considered to be a new phenotype of SCLC. While transformation from adenocarcinoma (ADC) with EGFR exon 19 deletions and exon 21 L858R point mutations has been described, to our knowledge, no cases of transformation to SCLC from exon-18-mutated ADC have been reported. We reported a clinical case of a patient with exon-18-EGFR-transformed SCLC, and we performed a systematic review of the literature.

Genetic Alterations of Melanoma Brain Metastases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Data on molecular alterations harbored by melanoma brain metastases (MBMs) are limited, and this has hampered the development of more effective therapeutic strategies. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of all the studies reporting DNA sequencing data of MBMs, in order to identify recurrently mutated genes and molecular pathways significantly enriched for genetic alterations. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase and Scopus for articles published from the inception of each database to June 30, 2021. We included in the analysis all the studies that reported individual patient data on DNA sequencing of MBMs, assessing single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and/or gene copy number variations (CNVs) in at least five tumor samples. Meta-analysis was performed for genes evaluated for SNVs and/or CNVs in at least two studies. Pooled proportions of samples with SNVs and/or CNVs was calculated by applying random-effect models based on the DerSimonian-Laird method. Gene-set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to identify molecular pathways significantly enriched for mutated genes. RESULTS: Ten studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis, for a total of 531 samples of MBMs evaluated. Twenty-seven genes were found recurrently mutated with a meta-analytic rate of SNVs higher than 5%. GSEA conducted on the list of these 27 recurrently mutated genes revealed vascular endothelial growth factor-activated receptor activity and transmembrane receptor protein tyrosine kinase activity to be among the top 10 gene ontology (GO) molecular functions significantly enriched for mutated genes, while regulation of apoptosis and cell proliferation were among the top 10 significantly enriched GO biological processes. Notably, a high meta-analytic rate of SNVs was found in several actionable cancer-associated genes, such as all the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor isoforms (i.e., Flt1 and Flt2 genes, for both SNV rate: 0.22, 95% CI 0.04-0.49; KDR gene, SNV rate: 0.1, 95% CI 0.05-0.16). Finally, two tumor suppressor genes were characterized by a high meta-analytic rate of CNVs: CDKN2A/B (CNV rate: 0.59, 95% CI 0.23-0.90) and PTEN (CNV rate: 0.31, 95% CI 0.02-0.95). CONCLUSION: MBMs harbored actionable molecular alterations that could be exploited as therapeutic targets to improve the poor prognosis of patients.

Association of Anticancer Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors With Patient-Reported Outcomes Assessed in Randomized Clinical Trials: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Importance: The association of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with patient quality of life has been poorly explored. Objective: To evaluate patient-reported outcomes (PROs) assessed in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of immunotherapy-based treatments. Data Sources: This systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis used RCTs identified in PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus from database inception to June 1, 2021. Study Selection: A total of 2259 RCTs were identified that assessed ICIs as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy or combined with another ICI and/or targeted therapy vs control groups not containing immunotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumors. Studies were reviewed independently by 2 authors. Data Extraction and Synthesis: This meta-analysis followed the PRISMA guidelines and recommendations of the Setting International Standards in Analyzing Patient-Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life Endpoints Data Consortium. Main Outcomes and Measures: The coprimary aims of the meta-analysis were (1) pooled differences between treatment groups in the mean change of PRO score from baseline to 12 and 24 weeks of follow-up and (2) pooled differences between treatment groups in the time to deterioration of PRO score. For each end point, RCTs have been analyzed according to the type of treatment administered in the experimental group: ICIs given as monotherapy, ICIs combined with chemotherapy, or ICIs in association with another ICI and/or with targeted therapies. Results: Of the 2259 identified RCTs, 34 (18 709 patients) met the selection criteria and were analyzed. In the group of 19 RCTs testing ICIs as monotherapy, the pooled between-groups difference of mean change from baseline to 12 weeks of follow-up was 4.6 (95% CI, 2.8-6.4), and the mean change from baseline to 24 weeks of follow-up was 6.1 (95% CI, 4.2-8.1), significantly favoring ICIs. The pooled difference was 1.4 (95% CI, -0.4 to 3.2) at week 12 and 2.5 (95% CI, -0.8 to 5.9) at week 24 in the group of 8 RCTs testing ICIs combined with chemotherapy and 2.1 (95% CI, -0.8 to 5.0) at week 12 and 2.1 (95% CI, -0.4 to 4.5) at week 24 in the group of 8 RCTs testing other ICI-containing combinations. The time to deterioration was significantly longer in the immunotherapy-containing groups compared with control groups in all 3 groups of RCTs evaluated (hazard ratios of 0.80 [95% CI, 0.70-0.91] for ICIs as monotherapy, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.78-1.00] for ICIs plus chemotherapy, and 0.78 [95% CI, 0.63-0.96] for other ICI-containing combinations). Conclusions and Relevance: Immune checkpoint inhibitors as monotherapy appear to have a favorable association with patient-reported quality of life and can be combined with other classes of anticancer drugs without worsening this quality of life.

Differential activity of avapritinib in patients with metastases from mucosal melanoma and thymic carcinoma harbouring KIT exon 17 mutations: Initial experience from a Compassionate Use Program in Italy.

INTRODUCTION: Proto-oncogene KIT is the gene encoding the receptor tyrosine kinase protein KIT. Activating mutations are found in 2.9% of neoplasms, with the highest prevalence in gastrointestinal stromal tumour. Exon 17 mutations typically alter the kinase activation loop and are relatively rare, representing 11.7% of all activating KIT mutations. Recently, KIT exon 17 mutants turned out to be a potential molecular target for the type 1 kinase inhibitor avapritinib (BLU-285). OBJECTIVE: In this framework, we aimed at investigating the potential activity of avapritinib in mucosal melanoma and thymic carcinoma, two disease histologies with dismal prognosis, currently lacking evidence-based second line treatment options and in which KIT exon 17 activating mutations could represent a relevant therapeutic target. RESULTS: In this series, we report the only four cases of patients affected by exon 17 mutant mucosal melanoma and thymic carcinoma that have been treated in Italy with avapritinib within a Compassionate Use Program. Two patients harboured mucosal melanoma and the other two were diagnosed with thymic carcinoma. We describe a differential activity of avapritinib (3/4 patients responded, 1/4 did not respond), along with possible hypotheses to justify such differences and potential implications for precision oncology. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the inactivity of imatinib on KIT exon 17 mutations, the general low clinical efficacy of immunotherapy, as well as the consequent formal lack of standard available and active second line systemic treatments in both mucosal melanoma and thymic carcinoma, support the implementation of avapritinib in the therapeutic armamentarium, even though further prospective evidence is warranted.

Combined BRAF-Targeted Therapy with Immunotherapy in BRAF-Mutated Advanced Melanoma Patients.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review evidence on the efficacy and safety of combined BRAF-targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with BRAF-mutated metastatic melanoma. RECENT FINDINGS: Programmed death-1 pathway inhibitors administered with BRAF/MEK inhibitors showed promising anti-tumour activity in BRAF-mutated advanced melanoma and were investigated for safety and efficacy in three large international clinical trials. Although, in two out of those three randomized phase III studies, progression-free survival (PFS) did not reach statistical significance, results showed that duration of response (DOR) and overall survival (OS) were improved using combined therapy, sustaining the scientific rationale for its use at least in a subset of metastatic melanomas. However, the frequent occurrence of autoimmunity-induced toxicities should be considered since it is limiting the continuity and the wide application of these regimens. Novel treatment modalities combining targeted therapy with checkpoint inhibitors require further clinical investigation and elucidation of their effect on the immune system and cancer cell modulation.

Vitamin D and the Risk of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis on Behalf of the Italian Melanoma Intergroup.

We aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the link between vitamin D and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). For this purpose, we conducted a systematic literature review (updated to 3 February 2021) and meta-analysis of the studies reporting on the association between vitamin D intake (from diet and supplements) and blood concentration, polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) genes, and the risk of NMSC. Random effects meta-analysis models were fitted to merge study-specific risk estimates into summary relative risk (SRR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). Twenty-four studies altogether were included. There was a suggestive association between increasing serum/plasma vitamin D concentration and NMSC risk (SRR for highest vs. lowest concentration 1.67, 95%CI 0.61-4.56), although with large heterogeneity across studies (I2 = 91%). NMSC risk was associated with highest vitamin D intake in observational studies but not in clinical trials. Finally, there was no significant association between any polymorphism of the VDR and VDBP genes and NMSC risk. In conclusion, no strong relationship between vitamin D metabolism and NMSC risk appears to exist according to our systematic review and meta-analysis, although some findings are worthy of further investigation.

Vitamin D Supplementation and Disease-Free Survival in Stage II Melanoma: A Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial.

Patients with newly resected stage II melanoma (n = 104) were randomized to receive adjuvant vitamin D3 (100,000 IU every 50 days) or placebo for 3 years to investigate vitamin D3 protective effects on developing a recurrent disease. Median age at diagnosis was 50 years, and 43% of the patients were female. Median serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD) level at baseline was 18 ng/mL, interquartile range (IQ) was 13-24 ng/mL, and 80% of the patients had insufficient vitamin D levels. We observed pronounced increases in 25OHD levels after 4 months in the active arm (median 32.9 ng/mL; IQ range 25.9-38.4) against placebo (median 19.05 ng/mL; IQ range 13.0-25.9), constantly rising during treatment. Remarkably, patients with low Breslow score (<3 mm) had a double increase in 25OHD levels from baseline, whereas patients with Breslow score ≥3 mm had a significantly lower increase over time. After 12 months, subjects with low 25OHD levels and Breslow score ≥3 mm had shorter disease-free survival (p = 0.02) compared to those with Breslow score <3 mm and/or high levels of 25OHD. Adjusting for age and treatment arm, the hazard ratio for relapse was 4.81 (95% CI: 1.44-16.09, p = 0.011). Despite the evidence of a role of 25OHD in melanoma prognosis, larger trials with vitamin D supplementation involving subjects with melanoma are needed.

Sex-Based Dimorphism of Anticancer Immune Response and Molecular Mechanisms of Immune Evasion.

PURPOSE: We previously demonstrated that sex influences response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. In this article, we investigate sex-based differences in the molecular mechanisms of anticancer immune response and immune evasion in patients with NSCLC. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We analyzed (i) transcriptome data of 2,575 early-stage NSCLCs from seven different datasets; (ii) 327 tumor samples extensively characterized at the molecular level from the TRACERx lung study; (iii) two independent cohorts of 329 and 391 patients, respectively, with advanced NSCLC treated with anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 drugs. RESULTS: As compared with men, the tumor microenvironment (TME) of women was significantly enriched for a number of innate and adaptive immune cell types, including specific T-cell subpopulations. NSCLCs of men and women exploited different mechanisms of immune evasion. The TME of females was characterized by significantly greater T-cell dysfunction status, higher expression of inhibitory immune checkpoint molecules, and higher abundance of immune-suppressive cells, including cancer-associated fibroblasts, MDSCs, and regulatory T cells. In contrast, the TME of males was significantly enriched for a T-cell-excluded phenotype. We reported data supporting impaired neoantigens presentation to immune system in tumors of men, as molecular mechanism explaining the findings observed. Finally, in line with our results, we showed significant sex-based differences in the association between TMB and outcome of patients with advanced NSCLC treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 drugs. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated meaningful sex-based differences of anticancer immune response and immune evasion mechanisms, that may be exploited to improve immunotherapy efficacy for both women and men.

Talimogene Laherparepvec (T-VEC): An Intralesional Cancer Immunotherapy for Advanced Melanoma.

Direct intralesional injection of specific or even generic agents, has been proposed over the years as cancer immunotherapy, in order to treat cutaneous or subcutaneous metastasis. Such treatments usually induce an effective control of disease in injected lesions, but only occasionally were able to demonstrate a systemic abscopal effect on distant metastases. The usual availability of tissue for basic and translational research is a plus in utilizing this approach, which has been used in primis for the treatment of locally advanced melanoma. Melanoma is an immunogenic tumor that could often spread superficially causing in-transit metastasis and involving draining lymph nodes, being an interesting model to study new drugs with different modality of administration from normal available routes. Talimogene laherperepvec (T-VEC) is an injectable modified oncolytic herpes virus being developed for intratumoral injection, that produces granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and enhances local and systemic antitumor immune responses. After infection, selected viral replication happens in tumor cells leading to tumor cell lysis and activating a specific T-cell driven immune response. For this reason, a probable synergistic effect with immune checkpoints inhibition have been described. Pre-clinical studies in melanoma confirmed that T-VEC preferentially infects melanoma cells and exerts its antitumor activity through directly mediating cell death and by augmenting local and even distant immune responses. T-VEC has been assessed in monotherapy in Phase II and III clinical trials demonstrating a tolerable side-effect profile, a promising efficacy in both injected and uninjected lesions, but a mild effect at a systemic level. In fact, despite improved local disease control and a trend toward superior overall survival in respect to the comparator GM-CSF (which was injected subcutaneously daily for two weeks), responses as a single agent therapy have been uncommon in patients with visceral metastases. For this reason, T-VEC is currently being evaluated in combinations with other immune checkpoint inhibitors such as ipilimumab and pembrolizumab, with interesting confirmation of activity even systemically.

Germline MC1R variants and frequency of somatic BRAF, NRAS, and TERT mutations in melanoma: Literature review and meta-analysis.

Germline variants of the melanocortin-1-receptor (MC1R) gene are the most common genetic trait predisposing to cutaneous melanoma (CM). Here, we performed a literature review and meta-analysis of the association between MC1R gene variants and the frequency of somatic mutations of the BRAF, NRAS, and TERT genes in CM patients. We included studies published until January 2020 in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Ovid Medline, and two grey literature databases. Random effect models were used to pool study-specific estimates into summary odds ratio (SOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were conducted to identify potential sources of heterogeneity and assess the robustness of pooled estimates. Twelve studies published between 2006 and 2018 (encompassing 3566 CM, mostly on nonacral sites) were included. MC1R gene variants were not significantly associated with the frequency of somatic mutations of the BRAF and NRAS genes. Only three studies focused on somatic mutations of the TERT gene promoter, all of which reported moderate-to-strong positive associations with MC1R germline variants. MC1R gene variants appear to make only moderate changes, if any, to the risk of BRAF- or NRAS-mutant CM. The association with TERT promoter mutations is suggestive, yet it warrants confirmation as it is based on a still limited number of studies.

A New Option for the Treatment of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: Percutaneous Hepatic Perfusion with CHEMOSAT Delivery System.

Liver metastases are a major management problem; since they occur in tumors of different origin, they are often multiple, difficult to visualize and can lie dormant for many years. Patients with liver metastases usually die of their disease, mostly due to liver failure, since systemic treatments are unable to eradicate micro-metastasis, and interventional loco-regional procedures cannot treat all existing ones. Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the second most common primary liver tumor, showing a poor overall prognosis. When resection is not possible, treatment options include tumor-focused or local ablative therapy, organ-focused or regional therapy and systemic therapy. We reviewed available loco-regional therapeutic options, with particular focus on the CHEMOSAT® Melphalan/Hepatic Delivery System (CS-HDS), which is uniquely positioned to perform a percutaneous hepatic perfusion (PHP), in order to treat the entire liver as a standalone or as complementary therapy. This system isolates the liver circulation, delivers a high concentration of chemotherapy (melphalan), filters most chemotherapy out of the blood and is a repeatable procedure. Most CS-HDS benefits are demonstrated in liver-predominant diseases, like liver metastasis from uveal melanoma (UM), hepatocarcinoma (HCC) and CCA. More than 650 procedures have been performed in Europe to date, mostly to treat liver metastases from UM. In CCA, experience is still limited, but retrospective analyses have been reported, while phase II and III studies are closed, waiting for results or ongoing.

Novel Biomarkers and Druggable Targets in Advanced Melanoma.

Immunotherapy with Ipilimumab or antibodies against programmed death (ligand) 1 (anti-PD1/PDL1), targeted therapies with BRAF-inhibitors (anti-BRAF) and their combinations significantly changed melanoma treatment options in both primary, adjuvant and metastatic setting, allowing for a cure, or at least long-term survival, in most patients. However, up to 50% of those with advance or metastatic disease still have no significant benefit from such innovative therapies, and clinicians are not able to discriminate in advance neither who is going to respond and for how long nor who is going to develop collateral effects and which ones. However, druggable targets, as well as affordable and reliable biomarkers are needed to personalize resources at a single-patient level. In this manuscript, different molecules, genes, cells, pathways and even combinatorial algorithms or scores are included in four biomarker chapters (molecular, immunological, peripheral and gut microbiota) and reviewed in order to evaluate their role in indicating a patient's possible response to treatment or development of toxicities.

Circulating tumour DNA and melanoma survival: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

We reviewed and meta-analysed the available evidence (until December 2019) about circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) levels and melanoma patients survival. We included twenty-six studies (>2000 patients overall), which included mostly stage III-IV cutaneous melanoma patients and differed widely in terms of systemic therapy received and somatic mutations that were searched. Patients with detectable ctDNA before treatment had worse progression-free survival (PFS) (summary hazard ratio (SHR) 2.47, 95 % confidence intervals (CI) 1.85-3.29) and overall survival (OS) (SHR 2.98, 95 % CI 2.26-3.92), with no difference by tumour stage. ctDNA detectability during follow-up was associated with poorer PFS (SHR 4.27, 95 %CI 2.75-6.63) and OS (SHR 3.91, 95 %CI 1.97-7.78); in the latter case, the association was stronger (p = 0.01) for stage IV vs. III melanomas. Between-estimates heterogeneity was low for all pooled estimates. ctDNA is a strong prognostic biomarker for advanced-stage melanoma patients, robust across tumour (e.g. genomic profile) and patients (e.g. systemic therapy) characteristics.

Course of Sars-CoV2 Infection in Patients with Cancer Treated with anti-PD-1: A Case Presentation and Review of the Literature.

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemia is a major health worldwide concern. Patients with cancer might have a worse outcome, because of the immunosuppression determined by the tumor itself and anti-cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The impact and course of viral infection in patients receiving immunotherapy remains unknown. We report the case of a patient with metastatic melanoma, long responder to anti PD-1 blockade who got infected with Sars CoV-2, recovering without sequelae. A critical review of literature was performed. Limited data available in literature support the possibility to continue the immunotherapy in patients with cancer under control.

Successful treatment with avapritinib in patient with mucosal metastatic melanoma.

Metastatic vulvar melanoma is a rare and aggressive disease and survival is usually poor. Vulvar melanomas harbor BRAF V600 mutations only infrequently; consequently, target therapy is a rare therapeutic option and immunotherapy usually has only a weak effect. On the other hand, KIT mutations are rare in cutaneous melanomas, but relatively frequent in mucosal melanomas, particularly in vulvar-vaginal melanomas, and can be a therapeutic target. Herein, we report a clinical case of a patient with metastatic vulvar melanoma, harboring an exon 17 c-KIT mutation, treated with avapritinib (BLU-285) - a highly potent and selective oral kinase inhibitor designed to treat imatinib-resistant gastro-intestinal stromal tumors (GIST) by targeting KIT/PDGFRα activation loop mutants (exons 17/18). After failure of the combination of ipilimumab + nivolumab first and then nivolumab alone, the patient received avapritinib 300 mg/daily for central nervous system (CNS), lymph-nodal, right adrenal gland, lung, and subcutaneous metastases. Best response was partial remission, according to RECIST 1.1 criteria. Time to treatment progression was 11 months. Main toxicities were grade 2 cutaneous vasculitis that required avapritinib discontinuation, and grade 2 uveitis of unknown origin, treated by vitrectomy and empiric antibiotic and antiviral therapy due to negative cultural tests. Uveitis was detected at the time of progression and therapy was definitively discontinued. In conclusion, avapritinib proved to be effective even in the presence of a pretreated disease, a high tumor burden, and brain metastases. In our experience, treatment was feasible and toxicity manageable. Considering the lack of effective therapies and the poor outcome of the disease, determination of c-KIT mutations should be performed routinely in cases of metastatic mucosal melanoma.

Extensive vitiligo associated to response to c-kit inhibitor in metastatic mucosal melanoma.

Mucosal melanoma is rare and accounts for 1.3-1.4% of all melanomas. Kit mutations are found in approximately 15-20% of mucosal melanomas. Immunotherapy with anti cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4 and antiprogrammed cell death protein 1 have reported low clinical efficacy in this melanoma subtype. Studies with Kit inhibitor Imatinib showed response rates ranging from 20 to 30%. We present the case of a patient with a c-kit mutated metastatic melanoma who developed autoimmune vitiligo during treatment with oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor Masitinib.