1. Randomized, Open-Label Phase II Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Talimogene Laherparepvec in Combination With Ipilimumab Versus Ipilimumab Alone in Patients With Advanced, Unresectable Melanoma
- Author
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Céleste Lebbé, Merrick I. Ross, Axel Hauschild, Theodore F. Logan, Robert H.I. Andtbacka, John A. Glaspy, Philip Friedlander, Claus Garbe, Jason Chesney, Omid Hamid, Howard L. Kaufman, Parminder Singh, Jenny J. Kim, Frances A. Collichio, Jennifer Gansert, Mohammed M. Milhem, Lisa Chen, and Igor Puzanov
- Subjects
Male ,0301 basic medicine ,Cancer Research ,Skin Neoplasms ,Phases of clinical research ,Herpesvirus 1, Human ,Gastroenterology ,law.invention ,0302 clinical medicine ,Randomized controlled trial ,law ,Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ,80 and over ,Clinical endpoint ,Medicine ,Melanoma ,6.2 Cellular and gene therapies ,Cancer ,Aged, 80 and over ,Middle Aged ,Progression-Free Survival ,Oncology ,Rapid Communications ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Female ,Chills ,medicine.symptom ,Talimogene laherparepvec ,Human ,medicine.drug ,Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf ,Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Clinical Trials and Supportive Activities ,Clinical Sciences ,Oncology and Carcinogenesis ,Ipilimumab ,Young Adult ,03 medical and health sciences ,Clinical Research ,Internal medicine ,Genetics ,Humans ,Oncology & Carcinogenesis ,Progression-free survival ,Neoplasm Staging ,Aged ,Biological Products ,Herpesvirus 1 ,business.industry ,Evaluation of treatments and therapeutic interventions ,medicine.disease ,Surgery ,030104 developmental biology ,business - Abstract
Purpose We evaluated the combination of talimogene laherparepvec plus ipilimumab versus ipilimumab alone in patients with advanced melanoma in a phase II study. To our knowledge, this was the first randomized trial to evaluate addition of an oncolytic virus to a checkpoint inhibitor. Methods Patients with unresectable stages IIIB to IV melanoma, with no more than one prior therapy if BRAF wild-type, no more than two prior therapies if BRAF mutant, measurable/injectable disease, and without symptomatic autoimmunity or clinically significant immunosuppression were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive talimogene laherparepvec plus ipilimumab or ipilimumab alone. Talimogene laherparepvec treatment began in week 1 (first dose, ≤ 4 mL × 106 plaque-forming units/mL; after 3 weeks, ≤ 4 mL × 108 plaque-forming units/mL every 2 weeks). Ipilimumab (3 mg/kg every 3 weeks; up to four doses) began week 1 in the ipilimumab alone arm and week 6 in the combination arm. The primary end point was objective response rate evaluated by investigators per immune-related response criteria. Results One hundred ninety-eight patients were randomly assigned to talimogene laherparepvec plus ipilimumab (n = 98), or ipilimumab alone (n = 100). Thirty-eight patients (39%) in the combination arm and 18 patients (18%) in the ipilimumab arm had an objective response (odds ratio, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.5 to 5.5; P = .002). Responses were not limited to injected lesions; visceral lesion decreases were observed in 52% of patients in the combination arm and 23% of patients in the ipilimumab arm. Frequently occurring adverse events (AEs) included fatigue (combination, 59%; ipilimumab alone, 42%), chills (combination, 53%; ipilimumab alone, 3%), and diarrhea (combination, 42%; ipilimumab alone, 35%). Incidence of grade ≥ 3 AEs was 45% and 35%, respectively. Three patients in the combination arm had fatal AEs; none were treatment related. Conclusion The study met its primary end point; the objective response rate was significantly higher with talimogene laherparepvec plus ipilimumab versus ipilimumab alone. These data indicate that the combination has greater antitumor activity without additional safety concerns versus ipilimumab.
- Published
- 2018
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