1090P High concurrent interferon gamma signature expression in the primary tumor and lymph node metastasis is associated with superior outcome upon neoadjuvant ipilimumab + nivolumab in stage III melanoma
Background The interferon gamma gene signature (IFNg) has been shown to be predictive and prognostic in patients (pts) with macroscopic stage III or IV melanoma. In macroscopic stage III melanoma, IFNg from lymph node biopsies (LN-IFNg) might be used in the future for neoadjuvant treatment decisions (combination vs monotherapy). To address the question of whether the IFNg can be analyzed using primary tumor material (P-IFNg) instead of LN-IFNg or, in the case of incongruencies, has a higher predictive value when combined with LN-IFNg, we analyzed the IFNg signature in paired samples (P and LN) from stage III melanoma pts. [...]
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 [...]
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] [...]
LBA41 Long-term survival with neoadjuvant therapy in melanoma: Updated pooled analysis from the International Neoadjuvant Melanoma Consortium (INMC)
Background Neoadjuvant therapy is the standard of care for resectable stage ≥IIIB melanoma. In 2021, the International Neoadjuvant Melanoma Consortium published a pooled analysis of 196 melanoma pts treated with neoadjuvant immunotherapy (ICI) or BRAF/MEK targeted therapy. Here, we provide a survival update of an expanded cohort. Methods Clinical, radiographic, histopathological, and survival data were collated for pts with resectable stage ≥IIIB melanoma who received neoadjuvant therapy in a clinical trial or routine care. Outcomes included major pathological response (MPR) rate, event-free survival (EFS; progression prior to surgery, recurrence post-surgery or death), and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Results Data was [...]
1943P Updated pan-tumor guidelines for neoadjuvant scoring of pathologic response: A joint SITC and INMC effort
Background Practice-changing clinical trials have recently been reported for multiple tumor types, bringing neoadjuvant therapy (NAT), particularly immunotherapy, to the forefront for patients with surgically resectable disease. Many of these studies used legacy systems to assess pathologic response for patients receiving chemotherapy or scoring systems designed a priori. The goal of this effort is to update, harmonize, and when possible, standardize the emerging system(s) for pathologic response assessment. Methods We developed revised guidelines for assessing pathologic response to NAT (immunotherapy, targeted therapy, chemotherapy, and combinations), based on correlating histologic features with patient outcomes. Members of the International Neoadjuvant Melanoma Consortium [...]
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 [...]
Comparison of clinicopathological features and treatment outcomes for cutaneous melanomas of the head and neck and melanomas arising at other sites: Implications for systemic therapy.
Abstract Background: Melanoma is increasingly recognized as a heterogeneous disease, with conflicting evidence regarding whether cutaneous head and neck melanoma (CHNM) represents a distinct entity. Objective: Comparison of clinicopathological features and treatment outcomes of CHNM and cutaneous melanomas of other sites (CMOS). Methods: Patients with CHNM and CMOS diagnosed between 2000 and 2018 were included. Locoregional control, distant metastasis-free survival, melanoma-specific survival (MSS), and overall survival (OS) were described using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression analyses were performed to examine associations between prognostic factors and outcomes. Additional analyses of survival from time of stage IV disease diagnosis were undertaken, stratified by receipt [...]
What is behind the declining incidence of melanoma in younger Australians?
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Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals melanoma cell state-dependent heterogeneity of response to MAPK inhibitors.
Abstract Background: Melanoma is a heterogeneous cancer influenced by the plasticity of melanoma cells and their dynamic adaptations to microenvironmental cues. Melanoma cells transition between well-defined transcriptional cell states that impact treatment response and resistance. Methods: In this study, we applied single-cell RNA sequencing to interrogate the molecular features of immunotherapy-naive and immunotherapy-resistant melanoma tumours in response to ex vivo BRAF/MEK inhibitor treatment. Findings: We confirm the presence of four distinct melanoma cell states - melanocytic, transitory, neural-crest like and undifferentiated, and identify enrichment of neural crest-like and undifferentiated melanoma cells in immunotherapy-resistant tumours. Furthermore, we introduce an integrated computational approach to [...]
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 [...]