Rawson, Robert

Neoadjuvant triplet immune checkpoint blockade in newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive primary adult brain tumor that rapidly recurs after standard-of-care treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. While immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies have transformed outcomes in many tumor types, particularly when used neoadjuvantly or as a first-line treatment, including in melanoma brain metastases, they have shown limited efficacy in patients with resected or recurrent GBM. The lack of efficacy has been attributed to the scarcity of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and low tumor mutation burden typical of GBM tumors, plus exclusion of large molecules from the brain parenchyma. We hypothesized that upfront [...]

February 27th, 2025|Comments Off on Neoadjuvant triplet immune checkpoint blockade in newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

The Prognostic Significance of Tumoral Melanosis

Abstract Background: Tumoral melanosis (TM) is a histological term to describe a nodular aggregation of macrophages containing melanin pigment (melanophages) that is devoid of viable melanocytes. It is most often identified in skin, where it may be appreciated clinically as a pigmented lesion; however, it can also be found in other organs such as lymph nodes. The presence of TM is usually thought to signify the presence of a regressed melanoma or other pigmented tumor. Until recently, it was a relatively uncommon finding; however, with the use of effective systemic therapies against melanoma, its occurrence in histological specimens is more [...]

October 2nd, 2024|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on The Prognostic Significance of Tumoral Melanosis

1094P NeoRisk: Neoadjuvant immunotherapy (NeoIT) recurrence risk assessment tool

Background NeoIT with anti-PD-1 (PD1) is now a standard of care for patients (pts) with resectable stage IIIB–D melanoma. Although pathological response is predictive of recurrence, this variable alone cannot accurately identify those pts who will recur, particularly non-responders. We sought to build a recurrence risk assessment tool based on pts demographics, disease characteristics, pathological and imaging data. Methods Pts with resectable stage IIIB–D melanoma treated with PD1-based neoIT were included. Pts demographics, disease characteristics, blood parameters, pathological and imaging data at baseline (BL) and post-treatment (post-Tx), and clinical outcomes were analysed. A penalised multivariable logistic regression model was [...]

September 24th, 2024|Comments Off on 1094P NeoRisk: Neoadjuvant immunotherapy (NeoIT) recurrence risk assessment tool

Neoadjuvant pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib in patients with resectable stage III melanoma (NeoPele): Analysis of tumor microenvironment (TME) correlated to pathological

Abstract Background: The phase II SWOG S1801 study showed an improved event-free survival with anti-PD-1 (PD1) neoadjuvant immunotherapy (neoIT) vs adjuvant PD1. One hypothesis explaining this benefit is the presence of tumor-draining lymph nodes (tdLN; defined as the nearest node to the tumor without direct involvement) as a potential reserve of stem-like (TCF7+) T cells, crucial to a good response to IT. We sought to analyze the immune infiltrate of the tumor-involved LN (ie TME) and tdLN from patients (pts) achieving major pathological response (MPR: complete [pCR] or near-complete [near-pCR] pathological response) vs non-MPR (partial [pPR] or no [pNR] [...]

September 24th, 2024|Comments Off on Neoadjuvant pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib in patients with resectable stage III melanoma (NeoPele): Analysis of tumor microenvironment (TME) correlated to pathological

72MO Concurrent BRAF targeted therapy (TT) with dabrafenib and trametinib and anti-PD-1 agent pembrolizumab (PD1) increased B cell signalling and inflammatory pathways more effectively than when given sequentially or with anti-PD-1 alone

Background Long duration TT prior to immunotherapy(IO) is inferior to IO upfront for patients with advanced BRAFV600 mutant melanoma while short duration TT continues to be investigated. The previously presented results of the neoadjuvant(NA) NeoTrio clinical trial (NCT02858921) demonstrated concurrent TT with PD1 yielded the highest pathologic response rates compared to 1 week of TT followed by PD1 or PD1 alone, although durability of pathological response was better with PD1 alone. We sought to characterise longitudinal changes to the tumour microenvironment induced by treatment. Methods In NeoTrio, 60 patients with BRAFV600 mutant stage IIIB/C/D melanoma were randomised to 6 weeks of [...]

September 24th, 2024|Comments Off on 72MO Concurrent BRAF targeted therapy (TT) with dabrafenib and trametinib and anti-PD-1 agent pembrolizumab (PD1) increased B cell signalling and inflammatory pathways more effectively than when given sequentially or with anti-PD-1 alone

1088P Molecular profiling and matched targeted therapy for patients with advanced melanoma: Results from part I of the MatchMEL study

Background While the molecular landscape of melanoma (Mel) has been defined, the clinicopathological associations of pts with BRAF/NRAS wild-type (WT) Mel and immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) treatment outcomes are less well understood. The MatchMEL study investigated the mutational profile of WT Mel and examined whether targeted treatments could be matched to specific molecular alterations with clinical efficacy. Methods In Part 1, consecutive pts with newly diagnosed advanced Mel presenting to two centres in Australia were enrolled. WT pts underwent FoundationOneCDx® (CDx) sequencing. Clinicopathologic features and ICI outcomes were examined. A molecular tumor board analysed CDx results to match targeted therapy [...]

September 24th, 2024|Comments Off on 1088P Molecular profiling and matched targeted therapy for patients with advanced melanoma: Results from part I of the MatchMEL study

The Effect of Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy on Surgical Outcomes After Lymph Node Dissections for Stage III Melanoma; An Australian Cohort

Abstract Background: Neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) for patients with stage III melanoma achieves high major pathologic response rates and high recurrence-free survival rates. This study aimed to determine how NAST with targeted therapies (TTs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) influences surgical outcomes after lymph node dissection in terms of complications, morbidity, and textbook outcomes. Methods: Patients who underwent a lymph node dissection after either NAST in a clinical trial or upfront surgery for stage III melanoma between 2014 and 2022 were identified from an institutional research database. Results: The study included 89 NAST-treated patients and 79 upfront surgery-treated patients. The rate of [...]

August 31st, 2024|Tags: , , , , , |Comments Off on The Effect of Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy on Surgical Outcomes After Lymph Node Dissections for Stage III Melanoma; An Australian Cohort

Neoadjuvant Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in Resectable Stage III Melanoma.

Abstract Background: In phase 1-2 trials in patients with resectable, macroscopic stage III melanoma, neoadjuvant immunotherapy was more efficacious than adjuvant immunotherapy. Methods: In this phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned patients with resectable, macroscopic stage III melanoma to two cycles of neoadjuvant ipilimumab plus nivolumab followed by surgery or surgery followed by 12 cycles of adjuvant nivolumab. Only patients in the neoadjuvant group with a partial response or nonresponse received adjuvant treatment. The primary end point was event-free survival. Results: A total of 423 patients underwent randomization. At a median follow-up of 9.9 months, the estimated 12-month event-free survival was 83.7% [...]

June 2nd, 2024|Comments Off on Neoadjuvant Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in Resectable Stage III Melanoma.

The Effect of Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy on Surgical Outcomes After Lymph Node Dissections for Stage III Melanoma; An Australian Cohort

Abstract Background: Neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) for patients with stage III melanoma achieves high major pathologic response rates and high recurrence-free survival rates. This study aimed to determine how NAST with targeted therapies (TTs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) influences surgical outcomes after lymph node dissection in terms of complications, morbidity, and textbook outcomes. Methods: Patients who underwent a lymph node dissection after either NAST in a clinical trial or upfront surgery for stage III melanoma between 2014 and 2022 were identified from an institutional research database. Results: The study included 89 NAST-treated patients and 79 upfront surgery-treated patients. The rate of [...]

May 18th, 2024|Tags: , , , , , |Comments Off on The Effect of Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy on Surgical Outcomes After Lymph Node Dissections for Stage III Melanoma; An Australian Cohort
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