Circulating cytokine associations with clinical outcomes in melanoma patients treated with combination nivolumab plus ipilimumab.

Nivolumab plus ipilimumab (aCTLA-4/aPD-1) combination therapy has significantly improved clinical outcomes in patients with metastatic melanoma, with 50%-60% of patients responding to treatment, but predictors of response are poorly characterized. We hypothesized that circulating cytokines and peripheral white blood cells may predict response to therapy and evaluated 15 cytokines and complete blood counts (CBC with differentials) from 89 patients with advanced melanoma treated with combination therapy from three points in time: pre-treatment, one month and approximately three months after starting therapy. Clinical endpoints evaluated included durable clinical benefit (DCB), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).

Melanoma Tumor Mutational Burden and Indoor Tanning Exposure.

Importance: UV-induced mutagenesis leads to a higher tumor mutational burden (TMB) in cutaneous melanoma relative to other cancer types. TMB is an important prognostic marker in advanced melanoma; higher TMB is associated with greater clinical response to immune checkpoint inhibition and improved survival.

Objective: To evaluate the association between cutaneous melanoma TMB and indoor tanning exposure, as well as other demographic, dermatologic, and tumor characteristics.

Nivolumab maintenance improves overall survival of patients with advanced melanoma who experience severe immune-related adverse events on nivolumab plus ipilimumab.

Background: The combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab is a highly effective treatment for metastatic cutaneous melanoma. However, immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are common, often necessitating treatment interruption and the use of immunosuppressive agents. There is no data on the impact of resuming nivolumab on survival following recovery from the irAE and completion of immunosuppressive treatment.

Acupuncture for hot flashes in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer: A pooled analysis of individual patient data from parallel randomized trials.

Background: Hot flashes are a common side effect of endocrine therapy (ET) that contribute to poor quality of life and decreased treatment adherence.

Methods: Patients with breast cancer wo were receiving ET and experiencing hot flashes were enrolled through three parallel, randomized trials conducted in the United States, China, and South Korea. Participants were randomized to either immediate acupuncture (IA) or delayed acupuncture control (DAC).

Phase II trial of vaccination with autologous, irradiated melanoma cells engineered by adenoviral mediated gene transfer to secrete granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor in patients with stage III and IV melanoma.

Background: In the era of immune checkpoint blockade, the role of cancer vaccines in immune priming has provided additional potential for therapeutic improvements. Prior studies have demonstrated delayed type hypersensitivity and anti-tumor immunity with vaccines engineered to secrete granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). The safety, efficacy and anti-tumor immunity of GM-CSF secreting vaccine in patients with previously treated stage III or IV melanoma needs further investigation.

Patterns of initial distant metastases in 151 patients undergoing surveillance for treated Merkel cell carcinoma.

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is associated with high rates of recurrence and distant metastatic progression. Current guidelines for surveillance imaging are not evidence based. Better characterization of the pattern of distant metastatic spread will better inform surveillance and facilitate earlier detection of metastases.

Multicenter Evaluation of Radiation and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy in Mucosal Melanoma and Review of Recent Literature.

Purpose: Optimal integration of local therapy and systemic immune therapy for patients with mucosal melanoma (MM) is uncertain. We evaluated treatment patterns and outcomes following radiation therapy (RT) in combination with immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) in MM.

Methods And Materials: Thirty-seven patients with localized (n = 32, 87%) or node-positive (n = 5, 14%) MM were treated across 4 institutions with RT to the primary tumor with or without oncologic resection (n = 28, 76%) and ICI from 2012 to 2020.

Cemiplimab for Kidney Transplant Recipients With Advanced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Purpose: Cemiplimab is approved for treating locally advanced or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). Solid organ transplant recipients have been excluded from immunotherapy trials, given concern for allograft rejection despite their increased risk of skin cancers. Chronic immunosuppression is necessary to prevent organ rejection but may attenuate antitumor response with PD-1 inhibitors.

Ziv-aflibercept plus pembrolizumab in patients with advanced melanoma resistant to anti-PD-1 treatment.

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor is associated with reduced immune response and impaired anti-tumor activity. Combining antiangiogenic agents with immune checkpoint inhibition can overcome this immune suppression and enhance treatment efficacy.

Methods: This study investigated the combination of ziv-aflibercept anti-angiogenic therapy with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced melanoma resistant to anti-PD-1 treatment.

Exploring anxiety as an influencing factor of the impact of exercise and mind-body prehabilitation on cognitive functioning among women undergoing breast cancer surgery.

Objective: The purpose of this secondary analysis was to describe the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and perceived stress among women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and the impact of baseline and changes in anxiety on cognitive functioning following exercise and mind-body prehabilitation interventions.

Methods: The sample consisted of 49 women with newly diagnosed breast cancer (stages I-III) who planned to undergo breast cancer surgery at two academic cancer centers. Participants were randomized to receive an exercise or mind-body prehabilitation intervention between the time of diagnosis and breast cancer surgery.

Pancreatitis and Hyperlipasemia in the Setting of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced pancreatic injury (ICI-PI) ranges from asymptomatic hyperlipasemia to symptomatic acute pancreatitis (AP). The proportion of pancreatic injury while receiving ICIs that is attributable to therapy remains unclear. We evaluated the etiology of hyperlipasemia in patients receiving ICIs, and the clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes of ICI-PI.

Bavituximab Decreases Immunosuppressive Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma Patients.

Purpose: We evaluated the efficacy of bavituximab-a mAb with anti-angiogenic and immunomodulatory properties-in newly diagnosed patients with glioblastoma (GBM) who also received radiotherapy and temozolomide. Perfusion MRI and myeloid-related gene transcription and inflammatory infiltrates in pre-and post-treatment tumor specimens were studied to evaluate on-target effects (NCT03139916).

Patients And Methods: Thirty-three adults with IDH--wild-type GBM received 6 weeks of concurrent chemoradiotherapy, followed by 6 cycles of temozolomide (C1-C6).

Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor Influence on Soluble and Membrane-Bound ICOS in Combination with Immune Checkpoint Blockade.

With the successful development of immune checkpoint blockade, there remains the continued need to improve efficacy and decrease toxicities. The addition of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) to ipilimumab has previously demonstrated both an improvement in efficacy and decrease in the incidence of high-grade adverse events. ICOS+CD4+ or ICOS+CD8+ peripheral blood T cells are significantly greater in the patients treated with ipilimumab plus GM-CSF than in the patients treated with ipilimumab alone.