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PURPOSEEffective treatment options are limited for patients with advanced (metastatic or unresectable) melanoma who progress after immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies. Adoptive cell therapy using tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes has demonstrated efficacy in advanced melanoma. Lifileucel is an autologous, centrally manufactured tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte product.METHODSWe conducted a phase II open-label, single-arm, multicenter study in patients with advanced melanoma who had been previously treated with checkpoint inhibitor(s) and BRAF ± MEK targeted agents. Lifileucel was produced from harvested tumor specimens in central Good Manufacturing Practice facilities using a streamlined 22-day process. Patients received a nonmyeloablative lymphodepletion regimen, a single infusion of lifileucel, and up to six doses of high-dose interleukin-2. The primary end point was investigator-assessed objective response rate (ORR) per RECIST, version 1.1.RESULTSSixty-six patients received a mean of 3.3 prior therapies (anti–programmed death 1 [PD-1] or programmed death ligand 1 [PD-L1]: 100%; anticytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein-4: 80%; BRAF ± MEK inhibitor: 23%). The ORR was 36% (95% CI, 25 to 49), with two complete responses and 22 partial responses. Disease control rate was 80% (95% CI, 69 to 89). Median duration of response was not reached after 18.7-month median study follow-up (range, 0.2-34.1 months). In the primary refractory to anti–PD-1 or PD-L1 therapy subset, the ORR and disease control rate were 41% (95% CI, 26 to 57) and 81% (95% CI, 66 to 91), respectively. Safety profile was consistent with known adverse events associated with nonmyeloablative lymphodepletion and interleukin-2.CONCLUSIONLifileucel demonstrated durable responses and addresses a major unmet need in patients with metastatic melanoma with limited treatment options after approved therapy, including the primary refractory to anti–PD-1 or PD-L1 therapy subset.

Non-antiviral therapeutic options are required for the treatment of hospitalised patients with COVID-19. CD24Fc is an immunomodulator with potential to reduce the exaggerated inflammatory response to tissue injuries. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CD24Fc in hospitalised adults with COVID-19 receiving oxygen support.We conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study at nine medical centres in the USA. Hospitalised patients (age ≥18 years) with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who were receiving oxygen support and standard of care were randomly assigned (1:1) by site-stratified block randomisation to receive a single intravenous infusion of CD24Fc 480 mg or placebo. The study funder, investigators, and patients were masked to treatment group assignment. The primary endpoint was time to clinical improvement over 28 days, defined as time that elapsed between a baseline National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ordinal scale score of 2-4 and reaching a score of 5 or higher or hospital discharge. The prespecified primary interim analysis was done when 146 participants reached the time to clinical improvement endpoint. Efficacy was assessed in the intention-to-treat population. Safety was assessed in the as-treated population. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04317040.Between April 24 and Sept 22, 2020, 243 hospitalised patients were assessed for eligibility and 234 were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive CD24Fc (n=116) or placebo (n=118). The prespecified interim analysis was done when 146 participants reached the time to clinical improvement endpoint among 197 randomised participants. In the interim analysis, the 28-day clinical improvement rate was 82% (81 of 99) for CD24Fc versus 66% (65 of 98) for placebo; median time to clinical improvement was 6·0 days (95% CI 5·0-8·0) in the CD24Fc group versus 10·0 days (7·0-15·0) in the placebo group (hazard ratio [HR] 1·61, 95% CI 1·16-2·23; log-rank p=0·0028, which crossed the prespecified efficacy boundary [α=0·0147]). 37 participants were randomly assigned after the interim analysis data cutoff date; among the 234 randomised participants, median time to clinical improvement was 6·0 days (95% CI 5·0-9·0) in the CD24Fc group versus 10·5 days (7·0-15·0) in the placebo group (HR 1·40, 95% CI 1·02-1·92; log-rank p=0·037). The proportion of participants with disease progression within 28 days was 19% (22 of 116) in the CD24Fc group versus 31% (36 of 118) in the placebo group (HR 0·56, 95% CI 0·33-0·95; unadjusted p=0·031). The incidences of adverse events and serious adverse events were similar in both groups. No treatment-related adverse events were observed.CD24Fc is generally well tolerated and accelerates clinical improvement of hospitalised patients with COVID-19 who are receiving oxygen support. These data suggest that targeting inflammation in response to tissue injuries might provide a therapeutic option for patients hospitalised with COVID-19.MerckCo, National Cancer Institute, OncoImmune.

PURPOSEWe evaluated the activity of intratumoral Coxsackievirus A21 (V937) in 57 patients with unresectable stage IIIC or IV melanoma.PATIENTS AND METHODSIn this multicenter, open-label, phase II study, patients received up to a total V937 dose of 3 × 108TCID50(50% tissue culture infectious dose) in a maximum 4.0-mL volume by intratumoral injection. Ten sets of V937 injections were administered between days 1 and 127 ( NCT01227551 ). Patients who had stable disease or were responding could continue treatment in an extension study ( NCT01636882 ). Response and progression status were based on contrast-enhanced computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or caliper measurement and were categorized using immune-related Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (irRECIST). Other evaluations included monitoring of adverse events and serum levels of V937 and anti-V937 antibody titers. The primary efficacy end point was 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) rate per irRECIST.RESULTSThe primary efficacy end point, 6-month PFS rate per irRECIST, was 38.6% (95% CI, 26.0 to 52.4). Durable response rate (partial or complete response for ≥ 6 months) was 21.1% per irRECIST. Best overall response rate (complete plus partial response) was 38.6% (unconfirmed) and 28.1% (confirmed) per irRECIST. Regression of melanoma was observed in noninjected lesions. Based on Kaplan-Meier estimation, 12-month PFS was 32.9% (95% CI, 19.5 to 46.9) per irRECIST and 12-month overall survival was 75.4% (95% CI, 62.1 to 84.7). No treatment-related grade ≥ 3 adverse events occurred. Viral RNA was detected in serum within 30 minutes of administration. Neutralizing antibody titers increased to > 1:16 in all patients after day 22, without effect on clinical or immunologic response.CONCLUSIONV937 was well tolerated and warrants further investigation for treatment of patients with unresectable melanoma. Studies of combination approaches with V937 and immune checkpoint inhibitors are ongoing.

TPS9594 Background: Patients (pts) with advanced (unresectable or metastatic) cutaneous melanoma and persistent disease after checkpoint inhibitor therapy have poor outcomes and limited treatment options, highlighting a significant unmet medical need (Schadendorf D et al. Lancet. 2018;392:971-984). Investigational autologous TIL cell therapies have shown promise in this population, partly attributable to their intrinsic and patient-specific antitumor activity (Borch TH et al. J Immunother Cancer. 2020;8:e000668). Made from each patient’s digested and cryopreserved tumor, ITIL-168 is an autologous TIL cell therapy manufactured to offer an unrestricted T-cell receptor repertoire. A single-center, compassionate use clinical series demonstrated the feasibility and clinical utility of an earlier version of ITIL-168, with a high overall response rate among pts previously treated with PD-1 inhibitor (PD-1i) therapy (58%, n = 12; Pillai M et al. Ann Oncol. 2021;32[suppl 5]:S882). DELTA-1 (NCT05050006) is a global, multicenter phase 2 study to evaluate efficacy and safety of ITIL-168 in pts with cutaneous melanoma relapsed or refractory to a PD-1i, pts intolerant to a PD-1i, and pts whose current best response to a PD-1i is stable disease. Methods: Pts aged ≥18 years with histologically confirmed advanced cutaneous melanoma, ECOG performance status 0-1, and adequate organ function will be enrolled in 1 of 3 cohorts. Cohort 1 (n≈80) will include pts who relapsed after or were refractory to ≥1 prior line of systemic therapy, including a PD-1i and, if BRAF-mutated, a BRAFi ± MEKi. Cohorts 2 and 3 (n≈25 each) will include pts intolerant to PD-1i and those with stable disease after ≥4 doses of PD-1i, respectively. After tumor resection for TIL harvest, pts must have ≥1 remaining measurable lesion per RECIST 1.1. Pts with uveal, acral, or mucosal melanoma, prior allogeneic transplant or cell therapy, and with central nervous system (CNS) disorder or symptomatic and/or untreated CNS metastases are ineligible. Pts will receive 5 days of lymphodepleting chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide ×2 days overlapping with fludarabine ×5 days) followed by a single ITIL-168 infusion (≥5×109 cells) and supportive short-course, high-dose IL-2. The primary endpoint is objective response rate (ORR) per central review. Secondary endpoints include duration of response, progression-free survival, overall survival, disease control rate, TIL persistence, and safety. Hypothesis testing of ORR will be performed for cohort 1. The primary analysis will occur when all pts in the cohort 1 modified intent-to-treat population have been followed for ≥6 months after the first posttreatment disease assessment. DELTA-1 opened for enrollment in September 2021. Updated site information will be given at the time of presentation. Clinical trial information: NCT05050006.

PURPOSE National guidelines recommend sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) be offered to patients with > 10% likelihood of sentinel lymph node (SLN) positivity. On the other hand, guidelines do not recommend SLNB for patients with T1a tumors without high-risk features who have < 5% likelihood of a positive SLN. However, the decision to perform SLNB is less certain for patients with higher-risk T1 melanomas in which a positive node is expected 5%-10% of the time. We hypothesized that integrating clinicopathologic features with the 31-gene expression profile (31-GEP) score using advanced artificial intelligence techniques would provide more precise SLN risk prediction. METHODS An integrated 31-GEP (i31-GEP) neural network algorithm incorporating clinicopathologic features with the continuous 31-GEP score was developed using a previously reported patient cohort (n = 1,398) and validated using an independent cohort (n = 1,674). RESULTS Compared with other covariates in the i31-GEP, the continuous 31-GEP score had the largest likelihood ratio (G2 = 91.3, P < .001) for predicting SLN positivity. The i31-GEP demonstrated high concordance between predicted and observed SLN positivity rates (linear regression slope = 0.999). The i31-GEP increased the percentage of patients with T1-T4 tumors predicted to have < 5% SLN-positive likelihood from 8.5% to 27.7% with a negative predictive value of 98%. Importantly, for patients with T1 tumors originally classified with a likelihood of SLN positivity of 5%-10%, the i31-GEP reclassified 63% of cases as having < 5% or > 10% likelihood of positive SLN, for a more precise, personalized, and clinically actionable SLN-positive likelihood estimate. CONCLUSION These data suggest the i31-GEP could reduce the number of SLNBs performed by identifying patients with likelihood under the 5% threshold for performance of SLNB and improve the yield of positive SLNBs by identifying patients more likely to have a positive SLNB.

Developing effective strategies to prevent or treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) requires understanding the natural immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We used an unbiased, genome-wide screening technology to determine the precise peptide sequences in SARS-CoV-2 that are recognized by the memory CD8+ T cells of COVID-19 patients. In total, we identified 3-8 epitopes for each of the 6 most prevalent human leukocyte antigen (HLA) types. These epitopes were broadly shared across patients and located in regions of the virus that are not subject to mutational variation. Notably, only 3 of the 29 shared epitopes were located in the spike protein, whereas most epitopes were located in ORF1ab or the nucleocapsid protein. We also found that CD8+ T cells generally do not cross-react with epitopes in the four seasonal coronaviruses that cause the common cold. Overall, these findings can inform development of next-generation vaccines that better recapitulate natural CD8+ T cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2.

Background Electroporated plasmid IL-12 (TAVO or tavokinogene telseplasmid) is a novel pro-inflammatory intratumoral therapy with substantial single agent activity in melanoma, which has been shown to synergize with anti-PD-1 antibodies in patients predicted as non-responders to anti-PD-1.1 2 Interim data from patients with stage III/IV melanoma actively progressing on anti-PD-1 antibody are presented herein. Methods Patients with confirmed disease progression by RECIST v1.1 after at least 12 weeks of treatment on pembrolizumab or nivolumab (or combination checkpoint blockade) and within 12 weeks of last dose (with no intervening therapies) were enrolled. There was no limit on the number of prior lines of therapy. At least one accessible lesion was electroporated with plasmid IL-12 (pIL-12-EP) on days 1, 5 and 8 every 6 weeks and pembrolizumab was administered every 3 weeks. Tumor response in treated and untreated lesions was assessed by RECIST v1.1 every 12 weeks. Endpoints include ORR, safety, PFS, OS, and DOR. Results The first 56 patients treated of 100 planned were included in this interim analysis. Of these, 84% had Stage IV disease, 30% had M1c or M1d disease, and 27% had prior exposure to ipilimumab. In 54 efficacy evaluable patients the investigator-assessed ORR was 30% (3 CR/13 PR), 5 patients had 100% reduction of target lesions. All responses have been confirmed, only two responding patient progressed while on study, 2 patients completed the study with ongoing responses (figures 1 and 2). In patients with M1c/M1d disease, the ORR was 35.2% (n=6/17). Tumor reduction was observed in untreated lesions in 12 of 12 patients who had unaccessible lesions or accessible untreated lesions. The median overall survival (mOS) and duration of response (mDOR) has not been reached, with a median follow-up time of 13 months. Grade 3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were seen in 5.4% of patients, and there were no grade 4/5 TRAEs. The rate of grade 3 treatment-emergent (TEAEs) regardless of cause was 23.2%. The median time for pIL-12-EP treatment was 10 minutes (range 2,46). Consistent with prior studies of single-agent pIL-12-EP, tumor IHC, and transcriptomic assessments revealed hallmarks of antigen-specific antitumor immunity in this study. Additional analyses including microbiome, TCR clonality, and peripheral blood biomarker assays will be presented. Conclusions In this rigorously defined PD-1 antibody refractory patient population, the addition of pIL-12-EP to PD-1 antibody therapy induced deep, durable, systemic response in local treated and distant visceral metastatic untreated lesions with nominal systemic toxicity. Trial Registration Trial Registration: NCT#03132675 Ethics Approval The study was approved by a central IRB and/or local institutional IRBs/Ethics Committees as required for each participating institution. Consent Written informed consent was obtained from the patients participating within the trial, the current abstract does not contain sensitive or identifiable information requiring an additional consent from patients. References Algazi A, Bhatia S, Agarwala S, et al. Intratumoral delivery of tavokinogene telseplasmid yields systemic immune responses in metastatic melanoma patients. Annals of Oncology 2019;31:532–540. Algazi A, Twitty C, Tsai K, et al. Phase II trial for IL-12 plasmid transfection and PD-1 blockade in immunologically quiescent melanoma. Clinical Cancer Research 2020;26:2827-2837.

Developing effective strategies to prevent or treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) requires understanding the natural immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We used an unbiased, genome-wide screening technology to determine the precise peptide sequences in SARS-CoV-2 that are recognized by the memory CD8+ T cells of COVID-19 patients. In total, we identified 3–8 epitopes for each of the 6 most prevalent human leukocyte antigen (HLA) types. These epitopes were broadly shared across patients and located in regions of the virus that are not subject to mutational variation. Notably, only 3 of the 29 shared epitopes were located in the spike protein, whereas most epitopes were located in ORF1ab or the nucleocapsid protein. We also found that CD8+ T cells generally do not cross-react with epitopes in the four seasonal coronaviruses that cause the common cold. Overall, these findings can inform development of next-generation vaccines that better recapitulate natural CD8+ T cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2., Graphical Abstract, Highlights • Unbiased screens identified SARS-CoV-2 targets of CD8+ T cells in COVID-19 patients • CD8+ T cells predominantly recognize 3–8 shared epitopes for each HLA type studied • ∼90% of shared epitopes are not located in the spike protein • CD8+ T cells show almost no cross-reactivity with epitopes in seasonal coronaviruses, Ferretti et al. reveal specific SARS-CoV-2 epitopes that are broadly shared by CD8+ T cells of COVID-19 patients but exhibit limited cross-reactivity with seasonal coronaviruses. Most epitopes are located outside of the spike protein, suggesting that next-generation vaccines incorporating these epitopes might be needed to generate more robust and durable immunity.

Development of effective strategies to detect, treat, or prevent COVID-19 requires a robust understanding of the natural immune response to SARS-CoV-2, including the cellular response mediated by T cells. We used an unbiased, genome-wide screening technology, termed T-Scan, to identify specific epitopes in SARS-CoV-2 that are recognized by the memory CD8+ T cells of 25 COVID-19 convalescent patients, focusing on epitopes presented by the six most prevalent HLA types: A*02:01, A*01:01, A*03:01, A*11:01, A*24:02, and B*07:02. For each HLA type, the patients’ T cells recognized 3–8 immunodominant epitopes that are broadly shared among patients. Remarkably, 94% of screened patients had T cells that recognized at least one of the three most dominant epitopes for a given HLA, and 53% of patients had T cells that recognized all three. Subsequent validation studies in 18 additional A*02:01 patients confirmed the presence of memory CD8+ T cells specific for the top six A*02:01 epitopes, and single-cell sequencing revealed that patients often have many different T cell clones targeting each epitope, but that the same T cell receptor Vα regions are predominantly used to recognize these epitopes, even across patients. In total, we identified 29 shared epitopes across the six HLA types studied. T cells that target most of these epitopes (27 of 29) do not cross-react with the endemic coronaviruses that cause the common cold, and the epitopes do not occur in regions with high mutational variation. Notably, only 3 of the 29 epitopes reside in the spike protein, highlighting the need to design new classes of vaccines that recapitulate natural CD8+ T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2.

Aim: To determine outcomes of retreatment with anti-PD-1 monotherapy for melanoma. Materials & methods: This retrospective study included adults with unresectable cutaneous melanoma who achieved stable disease (SD) or better after anti-PD-1 monotherapy and were retreated with anti-PD-1 monotherapy after ≥90-day gap. We determined overall survival and real-world tumor response. Results: For 21 eligible patients, from retreatment initiation, median follow-up was 14.4 months (range, 2.6–34.5); median overall survival was 30.0 months (95% CI: 14.4–not reached); 1-year survival was 100% (95% CI: 100–100%); 2-year survival was 83% (48–96%). Of 16 patients with recorded best real-world tumor response, ten (63%) responded (complete/partial response); three achieved SD; three had progressive disease. Conclusion: Patients with advanced melanoma achieving SD/better after first-course anti-PD-1 monotherapy may benefit from retreatment.

Background Treatment options are limited for patients with advanced melanoma who have progressed on checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies such as BRAF/MEK inhibitors (if BRAF-V600E mutated). Adoptive cell therapy utilizing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) has shown antitumor efficacy with durable responses in heavily pretreated melanoma patients. Safety and efficacy of lifileucel, a centrally manufactured cryopreserved autologous TIL therapy assessed by both investigator and an independent review committee (IRC), are presented. Methods C-144-01 is a global Phase 2 open-label, multicenter study of the safety and efficacy of lifileucel in patients with unresectable metastatic melanoma. We report on Cohort 2 (N = 66) patients with Stage IIIC/IV unresectable melanoma who received lifileucel. Tumors resected at local institutions were processed in central GMP facilities for TIL production in a 22-day process. Final TIL infusion product was cryopreserved and shipped to sites. Patients received one week of cyclophosphamide/fludarabine preconditioning lymphodepletion, a single lifileucel infusion, followed by up to 6 doses of IL-2. All responses were assessed by RECIST 1.1. Results 66 patients had the following baseline characteristics: 3.3 mean prior therapies (anti-PD1 100%; anti-CTLA-4 80%; BRAF/MEK inhibitor 23%), relatively high tumor burden (106 mm mean target lesion sum of diameters), 44% with liver and/or brain lesions, median LDH 244 U/L. Objective Response Rate (ORR) by investigator was 36.4% (2 CR, 22 PR, 1 previously confirmed PR is now changed to SD) and Disease Control Rate (DCR) of 80.3%. At a median follow up of 9.7 months, median Duration of Response (DOR) has not been reached. The adverse event profile was generally consistent with the underlying advanced disease and the profile of the lymphodepletion and IL-2 regimens. The ORR per IRC was 34.8% (2 CR, 21 PR) and DCR was 72.7%. At a median follow up of 6.9 months, the median IRC DOR has not been reached. Overall concordance rate of investigator and IRC read of response was 89.4%. The concordance compares favorably with literature reports in a metastatic disease.1 Conclusions Lifileucel treatment resulted in a 36.4% ORR in heavily pretreated metastatic melanoma patients with high baseline disease burden who had received prior anti-PD1 and BRAF/MEK inhibitors, if tumor BRAF mutated. The high concordance of 89.4% between investigator and IRC confirms the original assessment of lifileucel efficacy in metastatic melanoma.2 Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the patients and their families for participation in the study. The authors would also like to acknowledge the support and dedication of all investigators and site team members from all participating clinical trial institutions. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials. gov Identifier: NCT02360579 Ethics Approval Ethics Approval This trial was approved by Western Institutional Review Board - IRB Tracking Number: 20160198. References Ghiorghiu DC, et al. Comparison of central and site review of RECIST data in an open randomised phase II trial in advanced melanoma. 10.1594.ecr 2009/C-075. Sarnaik A, et al. Safety and efficacy of cryopreserved autologous tumor infiltrating lymphocyte therapy (LN-144, lifileucel) in advanced metastatic melanoma patients who progressed on multiple prior therapies including anti-PD-1. J Clin Oncol 2019;37:2518–2518.

Background Cancer immunotherapy has been firmly established as a standard of care for patients with advanced and metastatic melanoma. Therapeutic outcomes in clinical trials have resulted in the approval of 11 new drugs and/or combination regimens for patients with melanoma. However, prospective data to support evidence-based clinical decisions with respect to the optimal schedule and sequencing of immunotherapy and targeted agents, how best to manage emerging toxicities and when to stop treatment are not yet available. Methods To address this knowledge gap, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Melanoma Task Force developed a process for consensus recommendations for physicians treating patients with melanoma integrating evidence-based data, where available, with best expert consensus opinion. The initial consensus statement was published in 2013, and version 2.0 of this report is an update based on a recent meeting of the Task Force and extensive subsequent discussions on new agents, contemporary peer-reviewed literature and emerging clinical data. The Academy of Medicine (formerly Institute of Medicine) clinical practice guidelines were used as a basis for consensus development with an updated literature search for important studies published between 1992 and 2017 and supplemented, as appropriate, by recommendations from Task Force participants. Results The Task Force considered patients with stage II-IV melanoma and here provide consensus recommendations for how they would incorporate the many immunotherapy options into clinical pathways for patients with cutaneous melanoma. Conclusion These clinical guidleines provide physicians and healthcare providers with consensus recommendations for managing melanoma patients electing treatment with tumor immunotherapy. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40425-018-0362-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BRAF mutations are found in ~50% of metastatic melanomas, most commonly in codon V600. Vemurafenib improves progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with advanced BRAF-mutated melanoma. The results of a descriptive study evaluating vemurafenib in patients with advanced melanoma harbouring BRAF mutations other than V600E are reported. Eligible patients with stage IIIC or IV melanoma and non-V600E BRAF mutations received vemurafenib (960 mg, twice daily). End points included investigator-assessed best overall response rate (primary), time to response, duration of response, progression-free survival, overall survival and safety. Planned (V600K vs. non-V600K mutations) subgroup analyses were carried out. Thirty-one patients were enrolled; 13 (42%) had V600K mutations and 18 (58%) had other mutations. Investigator-assessed confirmed that the best overall response rate was 23% (95% confidence interval=10-41%) in the overall population, and was similar between patients with V600K mutations (23%; 95% confidence interval=5-54%) versus other mutations (22%; 95% confidence interval=6-48%). Responses were observed in patients with V600K (n=3), V600E2 (n=1), V600R (n=1), L597S (n=1) and D594G (n=1) mutations. No new safety signals were reported. Vemurafenib showed activity in patients with advanced melanoma with rarer BRAF mutations.

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Background Beneficial treatment options are limited for advanced melanoma patients who progress after or do not respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and targeted therapies. Lifileucel is an adoptive cell therapy using tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), that has shown efficacy in patients with advanced melanoma who have progressed on/after anti-PD-1therapy (Sarnaik et al., ASCO 2020). We present the 28-month (mos) follow-up data here. Methods C-144-01 (NCT02360579) is a global Phase 2 open-label, multicenter study of efficacy and safety of lifileucel in patients with unresectable metastatic melanoma who have progressed on anti-PD-1 therapy and BRAF/MEK inhibitors, if BRAF V600 mutant. We report on Cohort 2 (N = 66) patients who have received lifileucel. Tumors were resected at local institutions, processed in central GMP facilities for TIL production, manufactured, cryopreserved and shipped back to sites in a 22-day process. Therapy consisted of one week of nonmyeloablative lymphodepletion using cyclophosphamide (60 mg/kg on Day -7, -6) and fludarabine (25 mg/m2 on Day -5 through -1), a single infusion of lifileucel, and up to six doses of IL-2 doses (600,000 IU/kg/dose). Objective response rate (ORR) was based on RECIST v1.1 as assessed by investigators. Data cutoff was December 14, 2020. Results Baseline characteristics: 3.3 mean prior therapies (100% anti-PD-1; 80% anti-CTLA-4; 23% BRAF/MEK inhibitor), high baseline tumor burden (106 mm mean target lesion sum of diameters), 42% liver/brain lesions, 40.9% had LDH > ULN. Median time from last therapy to tumor harvest was 2.2 mos and 58% of the tumors resected were extra-nodal or non-skin/subcutaneous. ORR by Investigator was 36.4% (3 CR, 21 PR). One patient converted from a PR to CR at 24 mo after lifileucel therapy. Median time to first response was 1.4 mos (range: 1.3-5.6 mos). Median duration of response (mDOR) was still not reached at median follow-up of 28 mos (DOR range: 2.2-35.2 mos). No new safety risks have been identified for lifileucel during the long-term follow-up. Exploratory analyses of product-specific characteristics, including levels of phenotypic markers of T-cell lineage, memory subset, youth, activation/exhaustion, or trafficking did not demonstrate association with response. Conclusions Lifileucel treatment results in a 36.4% ORR and mDOR was not reached at 28 mo of median study follow up in heavily pretreated advanced melanoma patients with high baseline disease burden who progressed on multiple prior therapies, including anti-PD1 and BRAF/MEK inhibitors, if BRAF V600 mutant. Citation Format: Jason Alan Chesney, James M. Larkin, John M. Kirkwood, Jeffrey S. Weber, Nikhil I. Khushalani, Karl Lewis, Theresa M. Medina, Harriet M. Kluger, Sajeve S. Thomas, Evidio Domingo-Musibay, Judit Oláh, Eric D. Whitman, Salvador Martin-Algarra, Philippa G. Corrie, Jose Lutzky, Omid Hamid, Wen Shi, Xiao Wu, Madan Jagasia, Friedrich Graf Finckenstein, Maria Fardis, Amod A. Sarnaik. Lifileucel (LN-144), a cryopreserved autologous tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy in patients with advanced (unresectable or metastatic) melanoma: durable duration of response at 28 month follow up [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr CT008.

Background CYNK-001 is a cryopreserved, allogeneic, off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell investigational product derived from placental CD34+ cells. CYNK-001 exhibits cytotoxicity against various cancer cell types as well as virally infected cells and secretes immunomodulatory cytokines upon target activation. This is the first study to evaluate the safety and potential efficacy of CYNK-001 to treat patients (pts) with SARS-CoV-2, previously investigated in only solid tumor and hematologic malignancies. Methods Placental CD34+ cells were cultured in the presence of cytokines for 35 days to generate CYNK-001 under the cGMP conditions. Pts with a positive RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 from the nasopharynx and having moderate to severe illness, not requiring intensive care support or mechanical ventilation, were eligible. All enrolled pts received best supportive care. In the Phase 1 trial focused on safety of administration, a total of 14 pts will receive up to 3 CYNK-001 infusions on Days 1 (1.5e8 cells), 4 (6e8 cells), 7 (6e8 cells). Efficacy was measured by SARS-CoV-2 clearance as measured by RT-PCR testing and clinical measures of improvement, including pulmonary status, and inflammatory marker changes. Results Four of 6 pts treated to date were evaluable at the time of submission. All had multiple medical co-morbidities. Peripheral oxygen saturation (Sp02) ranged between 88-92% on up to 8L of supplemental oxygen and all had evidence of multilobar pneumonia on chest radiography. Two pts had received no prior therapy for COVID-19. The other 2 pts received remdesivir and dexamethasone, with the 4th pt also receiving convalescent plasma. In all 4 pts, all infusions were well tolerated. In 3 of 4 pts, oxygenation improved after the first infusion of CYNK-001 and radiographic improvement was noted. The 4th pt developed progressive hypoxemia prior to the administration of the first dose of CYNK-001, requiring more than 30L of supplemental oxygen delivered by facemask to support a Sp02>90%. All 3 doses of CYNK-001 were administered, but oxygen requirements increased. Twelve days after first CYNK-001 dose, the pt declined mechanical ventilation and died of respiratory failure. Attribution to CYNK-001 could not be ruled out. The remaining 3 pts were discharged with an average follow-up of 16 (9-32) days after first infusion. Conclusion In the first study to measure the safety and potential efficacy of CYNK-001 infusions to treat pts with COVID-19 disease, infusions were generally well tolerated with one Grade 5 event of hypoxic respiratory failure. Early efficacy has been seen in 3 of 4 pts with improvement of oxygenation, inflammatory markers, and radiographic findings. Once Phase 1 is completed, the Phase 2 portion of the study will test this approach in a randomized fashion compared to best available therapy to confirm efficacy of this approach. Citation Format: Corey Casper, Leonid Groysman, Vinay Malhotra, Eric Whitman, Stacy Herb, Erica Rave, Alan Lew, Cristina Goman, Zachary Sagawa, Monica Thakar, Victoria Lacasse, Cherie Daly, Shuyang He, Lin Kang, Sharmila Koppisetti, Tanel Mahlakõiv, Sunday Osokoya, William van der Touw, Junhong Zhu, Greg Berk, Xiaokui Zhang, Andrew Pecora, Robert Hariri. Early report of a phase I/II study of human placental hematopoietic stem cell derived natural killer cells (CYNK-001) for the treatment of adults with COVID-19 (NCT04365101) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr CT201.

9505 Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have become standard of care for treatment of metastatic melanoma. Most patients with advanced melanoma progress on ICI and treatment options are limited for these patients. Progression may be through primary resistance (lack of response) or secondary resistance (initial response then progression). Lifileucel is an adoptive cell therapy using TIL, that has shown efficacy in patients with advanced melanoma who progress on/after an anti-PD-1 (Sarnaik, 2020). We present the 28-month (mos) follow-up data and highlight the impact of prior anti-PD-1 response and duration of exposure on outcome with lifileucel. Methods: C-144-01 is a Phase 2, open-label, multicenter study of efficacy and safety of lifileucel in patients with advanced melanoma who have progressed on anti-PD-1 therapy and BRAFi ± MEKi, if BRAF V600+. We report long-term follow up on Cohort 2 (N = 66). Tumors were resected at local sites, processed in central GMP facilities for TIL production in a 22-day manufacturing process. Therapy consisted of nonmyeloablative lymphodepletion using 2 days of cyclophosphamide and 5 days of fludarabine, a single infusion of lifileucel, and up to six doses of IL-2. Objective response rate (ORR) was assessed by RECIST 1.1. Data cutoff was Dec. 14, 2020. Results: Baseline characteristics: 3.3 mean prior therapies (100% anti-PD-1; 80% anti-CTLA-4; 23% BRAFi/MEKi), high baseline tumor burden (106 mm mean target lesion SOD), 42% liver/brain lesions, 40.9% LDH > ULN. ORR by investigator was 36.4% (3 CR, one new CR developed at 24 mos; 21 PR). Median duration of response (mDOR) was not reached at median follow-up of 28 mos (DOR range: 2.2- 35.2 mos). In responders, the median cumulative duration and median prior lines of anti-PD-1 therapy was 4.4 mos (range: 1.4-22.5 mos), and 1.5 (range: 1-4). Data in Table demonstrates a meaningful increase in DOR to TIL with primary anti-PD-1 resistance and lower duration of time on prior anti-PD-1 therapy. No new safety risks have been identified for lifileucel during long-term follow-up. Conclusions: One-time lifileucel treatment results in a 36.4% ORR, and mDOR was not reached at 28 mos of median study follow up. One PR converted to a new CR at 24 months as responses continue to deepen. DOR is positively associated with primary resistance to prior anti-PD-1 therapy and with shorter cumulative prior duration of anti-PD-1 therapy. Lifileucel may offer a better clinical outcome when used earlier upon detection of progression on prior anti-PD-1 rather than retreatment with anti-PD-1 based regimens. Clinical trial information: NCT02360579. [Table: see text]

10006 Background: Treatment options are limited for patients with advanced melanoma who have progressed on checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies. Adoptive cell therapy using tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) leverages and enhances the body’s natural defense against cancer and has shown durable responses in heavily pretreated melanoma patients. Methods: C-144-01 is a global Phase 2 open-label, multicenter study of efficacy & safety of lifileucel in patients with unresectable metastatic melanoma who have progressed on checkpoint inhibitors and BRAF/MEK inhibitors, if BRAFv600 mutant. We report on Cohort 2 (N = 66) patients who have received TIL. Tumors were resected at local institutions, processed in central GMP facilities for TIL production, manufactured, cryopreserved & shipped back to sites in a 22-day process. Therapy consisted of one week of lymphodepletion, a single lifileucel infusion, and up to 6 IL-2 doses. ORR was based on RECIST v1.1 by investigator assessment. Data cutoff was Feb 2, 2020. Results: Baseline characteristics: 3.3 mean prior therapies (anti-PD1 100%; anti-CTLA-4 80%; BRAF/MEK inhibitor 23%), high baseline tumor burden (106 mm mean target lesion sum of diameters), 44% liver/brain lesions, 40.9% LDH > ULN. ORR by investigator was 36.4% (2 CR, 22 PR) and DCR was 80.3%. Mean time to response was 1.9 months (range: 1.3-5.6). After a median study follow-up of 17.0 months, median DOR (mDOR) was still not reached. Six responders have progressed, 2 have died and 2 started other anti-cancer therapy without progression. The adverse event profile was consistent with the underlying advanced disease and the lymphodepletion and IL-2 regimens. Additional follow-up data will be available for presentation. Conclusions: Lifileucel treatment results in a 36.4% ORR and mDOR was not reached at 17.0 months of median study follow up in a heavily pretreated metastatic melanoma patients with high baseline disease burden who progressed on multiple prior therapies, including anti-PD1 and BRAF/MEK inhibitors, if BRAFv600 mutant. Clinical trial information: NCT02360579.

PURPOSE. There is no consensus for the treatment of melanoma metastatic to the liver. Percutaneous hepatic perfusion with melphalan (PHP-Mel) is a method of delivering regional chemotherapy selectively to the liver. In this study, we report the results of a multicenter, randomized controlled trial comparing PHP-Mel with best alternative care (BAC) for patients with ocular or cutaneous melanoma metastatic to the liver. PATIENTS AND METHODS. A total of 93 patients were randomized to PHP-Mel (n = 44) or BAC (n = 49). On the PHP-Mel arm, melphalan was delivered via the hepatic artery, and the hepatic effluent captured and filtered extracorporeally prior to return to the systemic circulation via a venovenous bypass circuit. PHP-Mel was repeatable every 4–8 weeks. The primary endpoint was hepatic progression-free survival (hPFS), and secondary endpoints included overall PFS (oPFS), overall survival (OS), hepatic objective response (hOR), and safety. RESULTS. hPFS was 7.0 months for PHP-Mel and 1.6 months for BAC (p < 0.0001), while oPFS was 5.4 months for PHP-Mel and 1.6 months for BAC (p < 0.0001). Median OS was not significantly different (PHP-Mel 10.6 months vs. BAC 10.0 months), likely due to crossover to PHP-Mel treatment (57.1 %) from the BAC arm, and the hOR was 36.4 % for PHP-Mel and 2.0 % for BAC (p < 0.001). The majority of adverse events were related to bone marrow suppression. Four deaths were attributed to PHP-Mel, three in the primary PHP-Mel group, and one post-crossover to PHP-Mel from BAC. CONCLUSION. This randomized, phase III study demonstrated the efficacy of the PHP-Mel procedure. hPFS, oPFS, and hOR were significantly improved with PHP-Mel. PHP with melphalan should provide a new treatment option for unresectable metastatic melanoma in the liver.

Talimogene laherparepvec is a genetically modified herpes simplex virus-1-based oncolytic immunotherapy for the local treatment of unresectable cutaneous, subcutaneous, and nodal tumors in patients with melanoma recurrence following surgery. We aim to describe the safety of talimogene laherparepvec. Intralesional talimogene laherparepvec was administered at less than or equal to 4 ml×10 PFU/ml at protocol day 1, then less than or equal to 4 ml×10 PFU/ml 21 days later, and then every 14 days. Treatment continued until complete response, absence of injectable tumors, progressive disease, intolerance, or US Food and Drug Administration approval. Adverse events were graded during and 30 days after the end of treatment. Lesions suspected to have herpetic origin were tested for talimogene laherparepvec DNA by quantitative PCR (qPCR). Between September 2014 and October 2015, 41 patients were enrolled with stage IIIB (22%), IIIC (37%), IVM1a (34%), IVM1b (5%), and IVM1c (2%) melanoma. The median age was 72 (range: 32-96) years and 54% of the patients were men. Patients had an ECOG performance status of 0 (68%) or 1 (32%). The median treatment duration was 13.1 (3.0-41.1) weeks. Treatment-related adverse events of greater than or equal to grade 3 were reported in three (7.3%) patients and included vomiting, upper abdominal pain, chills, hyperhidrosis, nausea, pyrexia, and wound infection. Suspected herpetic lesions were swabbed in five (12%) patients. One of the five tested positive for talimogene laherparepvec DNA by qPCR, but this lesion had been injected previously with talimogene laherparepvec. During the study, five patients completed treatment because of complete response per investigators. In the clinical practice setting, talimogene laherparepvec has a safety profile comparable to that observed in previous clinical trials. Talimogene laherparepvec (IMLYGIC) is now approved in the US, European Union, and Australia.

Pembrolizumab has been approved in the United States for treating advanced melanoma for >4 years. We examined real-world pembrolizumab use and associated outcomes in US oncology clinical practices, including patients who would not be eligible for clinical trials.Flatiron Health longitudinal

2518 Background: Treatment options are limited for patients with advanced melanoma who have progressed on checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies such as BRAF/MEK inhibitors (if BRAF-V600E mutated). Adoptive cell therapy utilizing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) has shown antitumor efficacy with durable long-term responses in heavily pretreated melanoma patients. Safety and efficacy of lifileucel (LN-144), a centrally manufactured autologous TIL therapy are presented. Methods: C-144-01 is a global Phase 2 open-label, multicenter study of the efficacy and safety of lifileucel in patients with unresectable metastatic melanoma. We report on Cohort 2 (N = 55) patients who received cryopreserved lifileucel. Tumors resected at local institutions were processed in central GMP facilities for TIL production in a 22-day process. Final TIL infusion product was cryopreserved and shipped to sites. Patients received one week of cyclophosphamide/fludarabine preconditioning lymphodepletion, a single lifileucel infusion, followed by up to 6 doses of IL-2. Results: In 55 patients with Stage IIIC/IV unresectable melanoma, 3.1 mean prior therapies (anti-PD1 100%; anti-CTLA-4 80%; BRAF/MEK inhibitor 24%), high baseline tumor burden (110 mm mean target lesion sum of diameters), ORR was 38% (2 CR, 18 PR, 1 uPR). Of 21 responders, 4 have progressed to date with median follow up of 7.4 months. Overall disease control was 76%. Improved responses in some patients were observed with longer follow up. Most (54) patients progressed on prior anti-PD1 and those with PD-L1 negative status (TPS < 5%) were among responders. Mean cells infused was 28 x109. Median IL-2 doses administered was 6.0. Adverse events resolved to baseline, 2 weeks post TIL infusion, a potentially important benefit of one-time TIL therapy. Conclusions: Lifileucel treatment results in 38% ORR in heavily pretreated metastatic melanoma patients with high baseline disease burden who received prior anti-PD1 and BRAF/MEK inhibitor if BRAF mutated. Based on these data, a new Cohort 4 in C-144-01 has been initiated to support lifileucel registration. Clinical trial information: NCT02360579.

e21031 Background: Pembrolizumab (PEM), a humanized antibody targeting programmed death-1 receptor, has been approved by FDA for the treatment of patients (pts) with advanced melanoma (AM) in the US since 2014. Real-world (RW) data supports the clinical effectiveness of 1L use of PEM, but there is limited information of PEM later line use. The study examined the RW outcomes of pts treated with PEM who have failed prior lines of therapy in US oncology clinical practices. Methods: Flatiron Health longitudinal database was used to identify adult pts with AM who received ≥1 dose of PEM in second line (2L) or later (3L+) between September 4, 2014 and May 31, 2017. Pts were followed up to May 31, 2018. Pts in clinical trials were excluded. Pt demographic, treatment, and clinical characteristics were described. Time on treatment (ToT) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using the Kaplan Meier (KM) method, with the first dose of PEM as the starting point. Results: Two hundred thirty-six pts were included in the analysis, of which there were 171 2L and 65 3L+. Overall, median age at PEM initiation was 66 years; most were male (66.1%) and Caucasian (95.4%). 41.1% of pts’ tumors were confirmed BRAF mutant; 49.6% of pts’ tumors were confirmed BRAF wildtype; the rest was not tested or indeterminate. When data were available, 26.2% had an elevated lactate dehydrogenase (> ULN), 24.6% had brain metastases, and 25.5% had an ECOG performance status of > 1. At the time of analysis, pts were followed for a median of 12.5 months (mo, range, 0.1-44.6). Overall median ToT was 4.4 mo (95% CI, 3.5-5.3), with 4.7 and 4.4 mo in 2L and 3L+, respectively. Overall median OS was 16.8 mo (95% CI, 12.2-25.9), with 16.8 and 18.9 mo for 2L and 3L+ respectively. 1-year and 2-year survival, using the KM method, was 58.0% (95% CI, 51.2-64.1; 2L, 57.4%; 3L+, 59.6%) and 44.7% (95% CI, 37.9-51.3; 2L, 44.3%; 3L+, 46.1%) respectively. Conclusions: The study reports RW use of PEM in a large cohort of pts with AM who have failed initial therapy in US oncology clinical practices, with a heterogeneous study population compared to clinical trials. The findings of OS based on RW use suggest PEM is an effective treatment option for patients in later lines of therapy.

6039 Background: SD-101, a synthetic CpG-ODN agonist of TLR9, stimulates dendritic cells to release IFN-alpha and mature into antigen presenting cells - activating T cell anti-tumor responses. Pembrolizumab has demonstrated activity in HNSCC. Study DV3-MEL-01 (NCT02521870) assesses safety and efficacy of SD-101 in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with recurrent/metastatic HNSCC. We have previously reported a 27.3% ORR in 22 patients receiving 8 mg SD-101/injection in the modified ITT after at least 2 CT scans due to late responses (Abstract 3560, ESMO 2018). Higher efficacy at a lower SD-101 dose, 2 mg/injection, has been reported in advanced melanoma patients (LBA 45, ESMO 2018). Consequently, this dose is now being assessed in HNSCC. We report preliminary data with the 2 mg/injection dose in 23 patients in mITT at the first CT scan. Methods: Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 naïve patients received 2 mg SD-101 intratumorally in 1 - 4 lesions (weekly x 4 doses then Q3W x 7 doses). Pembrolizumab is was administered IV at 200 mg Q3W. Responses were assessed per RECIST v1.1. Results: 28 patients enrolled: median age 63 y/o, male 68%; ECOG PS 0-1 (18%/82%); mean prior lines of systemic therapy 1 (0-3); mean treatment duration 70 days (1-253). Primary tumors: 19 (68%) oropharyngeal; 3 (10%) laryngeal; 2 (7%) hypopharyngeal; 4 (14%) unknown. Mean number of target lesions: 1.82 (1 to 5). HPV status: 7 (25%) +, 9 (32%) -, 12 (43%) unknown. 18 (64 %) discontinued treatment: 12 (42%) due to PD, 4 (16%) deaths, 1 (3%) consent withdrawn, 1 (3%) went to hospice. Mean follow up 2.70 months. Safety: 16 non-treatment-related SAEs in 9 patients. 2 treatment-related Grade ≥3 AEs: sepsis (4%) and lymphopenia (4% ). No treatment-related deaths. Efficacy: 23 patients in the mITT population with first CT scan at day 64: ORR: CR: 2, PR: 3 (22%); SD: 6 (26%), PD: 7 (30%), non-evaluable: 5 (22%). Disease control rate (48%). 5 patients on study have not had a CT scan. Conclusions: SD-101 with Pembrolizumab shows early promising data and is well tolerated. Additional follow-up scans from both dose cohorts are being evaluated and will be presented. Clinical trial information: NCT02521870.

136 Background: While immunotherapies including checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies (BRAF/MEK inhibitors) are options for patients with metastatic melanoma, many patients still develop progressive disease. These patients have few treatment options available including high dose IL-2 and chemotherapy with reported second line response rates of 4-10%. Adoptive cell therapy utilizing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) is recognized as an effective treatment in metastatic melanoma, able to elicit durable and complete responses in even heavily pretreated patients. We provide preliminary data for lifileucel TIL (LN-144) in heavily pre-treated metastatic melanoma patients who progressed on multiple checkpoint and BRAF/MEK inhibitors. Methods: C-144-01 is an ongoing global Phase 2, open-label, multicenter study of efficacy and safety of lifileucel in patients with unresectable metastatic melanoma. We report on Cohort 2 (N = 47) patients who received cryopreserved lifileucel. Tumors resected at local institutions were processed at central GMP facilities in a 22-day manufacturing process. The final product was cryopreserved and shipped to sites. Patients received a one week cyclophosphamide/fludarabine preconditioning lymphodepletion regimen, a single lifileucel infusion, followed by up to 6 doses of iv IL-2 (600,000 IU/kg). Results: Patients with Stage IIIC/IV melanoma had 3.3 mean prior therapies (range: 1-9) and high baseline tumor burden, reflected by a mean sum of diameters of target lesions of 112 mm. Preliminary efficacy results: ORR = 38% (1 CR, 13 PR, 4 uPR), DCR = 77%, and median DOR 6.4 mo (range: 1.3 to 13.7) with median follow-up 6.0 mo. Longer follow-up led to improved responses in some patients including the CR. Frequency of AEs decreased over time, a potentially important benefit of one-time TIL treatment. Conclusions: Preliminary data support lifileucel TIL as an efficacious and well-tolerated therapeutic option for patients with metastatic melanoma who have failed multiple lines of prior therapies including checkpoint inhibitors and BRAF/MEK inhibitors. Clinical trial information: NCT02360579.

Background We previously reported that talimogene laherparepvec, an oncolytic herpes virus encoding granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), resulted in an objective response rate of 26 % in patients with advanced melanoma in a phase II clinical trial. The response of individual lesions, however, was not reported. Since talimogene laherparepvec is thought to mediate anti-tumor activity through both direct tumor cytolysis and induction of systemic tumor-specific immunity, we sought to determine the independent response rate in virus-injected and non-injected lesions. Methods Fifty patients with stage IIIC or IV melanoma were treated with talimogene laherparepvec in a multi-institutional single-arm open-label phase II clinical trial. In this study patients were treated until a complete response was achieved, all accessible tumors disappeared, clinically significant disease progression, or unacceptable toxicity. This report is a post hoc analysis of the systemic effects of talimogene laherparepvec in injected lesions and two types of uninjected lesions—non-visceral lesions and visceral lesions. Results Eleven of 23 patients (47.8 %) had a ≥ 30 % reduction in the total burden of uninjected non-visceral lesions, and 2 of 12 patients (16.7 %) had a ≥ 30 % reduction in the total burden of visceral lesions. Among 128 evaluable lesions directly injected with talimogene laherparepvec, 86 (67.2 %) decreased in size by ≥ 30 % and 59 (46.1 %) completely resolved. Of 146 uninjected non-visceral lesions, 60 (41.1 %) decreased in size by ≥ 30 %, the majority of which (44 [30.1 %]) completely resolved. Of 32 visceral lesions, 4 (12.5 %) decreased in size by ≥ 30 %, and 3 (9.4 %) completely resolved. The median time to lesion response was shortest for lesions that were directly injected (18.4 weeks), followed by uninjected non-visceral lesions (23.1 weeks) and visceral lesions (51.3 weeks), consistent with initiation of a delayed regional and systemic anti-tumor immune response to talimogene laherparepvec. Conclusions These results support a regional and systemic effect of talimogene laherparepvec immunotherapy in patients with advanced melanoma.

Introduction Breslow thickness (BRES) on initial melanoma biopsy determines need for sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy. In presence of positive deep margins, BRES is indeterminate. We hypothesized that thin (BRES

Numerous predictive factors for cutaneous melanoma metastases to sentinel lymph nodes have been identified; however, few have been found to be reproducibly significant. This study investigated the significance of factors for predicting regional nodal disease in cutaneous melanoma using a large multicenter database.Seventeen institutions submitted retrospective and prospective data on 3463 patients undergoing sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy for primary melanoma. Multiple demographic and tumor factors were analyzed for correlation with a positive SLN. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed.Of 3445 analyzable patients, 561 (16.3%) had a positive SLN biopsy. In multivariate analysis of 1526 patients with complete records for 10 variables, increasing Breslow thickness, lymphovascular invasion, ulceration, younger age, the absence of regression, and tumor location on the trunk were statistically significant predictors of a positive SLN.These results confirm the predictive significance of the well-established variables of Breslow thickness, ulceration, age, and location, as well as consistently reported but less well-established variables such as lymphovascular invasion. In addition, the presence of regression was associated with a lower likelihood of a positive SLN. Consideration of multiple tumor parameters should influence the decision for SLN biopsy and the estimation of nodal metastatic disease risk.

Stimulating an immune response against cancer with the use of vaccines remains a challenge. We hypothesized that combining a melanoma vaccine with interleukin-2, an immune activating agent, could improve outcomes. In a previous phase 2 study, patients with metastatic melanoma receiving high-dose interleukin-2 plus the gp100:209-217(210M) peptide vaccine had a higher rate of response than the rate that is expected among patients who are treated with interleukin-2 alone.We conducted a randomized, phase 3 trial involving 185 patients at 21 centers. Eligibility criteria included stage IV or locally advanced stage III cutaneous melanoma, expression of HLA*A0201, an absence of brain metastases, and suitability for high-dose interleukin-2 therapy. Patients were randomly assigned to receive interleukin-2 alone (720,000 IU per kilogram of body weight per dose) or gp100:209-217(210M) plus incomplete Freund's adjuvant (Montanide ISA-51) once per cycle, followed by interleukin-2. The primary end point was clinical response. Secondary end points included toxic effects and progression-free survival.The treatment groups were well balanced with respect to baseline characteristics and received a similar amount of interleukin-2 per cycle. The toxic effects were consistent with those expected with interleukin-2 therapy. The vaccine-interleukin-2 group, as compared with the interleukin-2-only group, had a significant improvement in centrally verified overall clinical response (16% vs. 6%, P=0.03), as well as longer progression-free survival (2.2 months; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7 to 3.9 vs. 1.6 months; 95% CI, 1.5 to 1.8; P=0.008). The median overall survival was also longer in the vaccine-interleukin-2 group than in the interleukin-2-only group (17.8 months; 95% CI, 11.9 to 25.8 vs. 11.1 months; 95% CI, 8.7 to 16.3; P=0.06).In patients with advanced melanoma, the response rate was higher and progression-free survival longer with vaccine and interleukin-2 than with interleukin-2 alone. (Funded by the National Cancer Institute and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00019682.).

Introduction The WHO 2016 classification for hematologic malignancies has introduced a new entity: High-grade B cell lymphomas (HGBL), with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangements. The oncology community, to reflect MYC and BCL2 or BCL6 rearrangement, is increasingly using the term double-hit lymphoma (DHL). When all three genes are rearranged, the term "triple-hit" has been used; A disease with very aggressive clinical features and dismal outcome. DHL tends to present with advanced stage, high International Prognostic Index (IPI), and increased LDH. There is high frequency of extra-nodal involvement, including the bone marrow and central nervous system. Though relatively rare, DHL has been the subject of intense investigation due to its aggressive clinical course and resistance to conventional chemotherapy. A "quadruple hit" lymphoma is a rare genetic variant that is seldom documented in the literature adding to the "triple hits", a Cyclin-D1 rearrangement. We sought to catalogue all the known published cases of quadruple hit lymphoma to better understand this rare aberration. We hereby describe the salient features of this rare entity and its prognosis. Material and Methods To better understand the clinical behavior of this rare entity, systematic review of PUBMED, Medline and EMBASE databases via OVID engine was conducted to search for primary articles and case reports under keywords "quadruple hit lymphoma" or "B‐cell lymphomas with MYC, BCL2, BCL6 or CCND1 rearrangements". The search was limited to the English literature. The PubMed search was conducted on May 28, 2018 and yielded 336 results. Two reviewers carefully reviewed the articles. Cases were considered "quadruple-hit" if MYC, BCL2, BCL6 and CCND1 were simultaneously rearranged in the same patient. Only three articles of quadruple hit lymphoma met the criteria and were included for further analysis. One case diagnosed recently and treated at our institution was included in the descriptive statistics. Results After our extensive review of the literature, only four cases met the inclusion criteria. With our case, we report five cases. The median age at diagnosis of quadruple hit lymphoma in this cohort was 72 years (range: 51-81). Three out of five cases were males. The Ki67 in the patients, when available, was at least 80%. When reported, LDH was universally elevated (range: 522-989). Out of the five patients, four received chemotherapy, though no two patients received the same regimen. Regimens used: RCHOP, dose adjusted REPOCH alternating with high dose methotrexate and cytarabine and Rituximab/ifosfamide and cytarabine. The response to treatment varied widely among the patients. Survival ranged from 6 days to at least 30 months in the youngest patient with the median overall survival being only four months. Complete response was achieved in two patients, one with RCHOP and the other with a combination of alternating REPOCH alternating with high dose methotrexate and cytarabine (this case was treated in our institution). The cytogenetics were uniformly complex in all cases. Our patient successfully underwent autologous bone marrow transplant as consolidation. The patient is still alive eight months after diagnosis but unfortunately, he relapsed three months after autologous bone marrow transplantation. Conclusion Quadruple hit lymphoma is an extremely rare entity occurring in patients diagnosed with high-grade B cell lymphoma with the rearrangements of four genes: MYC, BCL2, BCL6 and CCND1. Most patients present with bone marrow involvement, high IPI score and extra-nodal disease. There is no consensus on the optimal treatment and the prognosis is dismal despite aggressive initial therapy. Table. Table. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) utilizing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) has been employed for years in hundreds of patients with metastatic melanoma and other solid tumors, demonstrating durable and complete responses, even in heavily pretreated patients. Despite the approvals of checkpoint-directed therapies, metastatic melanoma remains an unmet need due to progression subsequent to administration of checkpoints, as well as due to intolerance. The C-144-01 study will enroll metastatic melanoma patients who progressed on anti-PD-1 and BRAF inhibitors if BRAF mutation positive. This phase II trial utilizes a central GMP facility for the manufacture of LN-144 in either a non-cryopreserved generation-1 (Gen-1), or cryopreserved generation-2 (Gen-2) investigational TIL infusion product. The Gen-2 manufacturing process reduces the time required for manufacture of TIL product to 22 days. The process development of cryopreservation for the final LN-144 infusion product incorporates dramatic improvements in the flexibility of scheduling, distribution and delivery required for commercial use. C-144-01 (NCT02360579) is a global phase 2 multicenter, open-label study evaluating the efficacy and safety of autologous TIL (LN-144) therapy for the treatment of patients with advanced metastatic melanoma. The study consists of three treatment cohorts: 30 patients in Cohort 1 will receive a single dose of Gen-1, non-cryopreserved LN-144; 30 patients in Cohort 2 will receive a single dose of Gen-2, cryopreserved LN-144; and up to 10 eligible patients from either Cohort 1 or Cohort 2 may enter a third cohort (Cohort 3) for re-treatment with a second dose of LN-144. The investigational LN-144 TIL infusion product for all cohorts is prepared at the central GMP facility using lymphocytes that are extracted from a surgically-resected sample of patient tumor. LN-144 infusion is preceded by a non-myeloablative lymphodepletion regimen of cyclophosphamide and fludarabine and followed by IL-2 for up to 6 doses. Patients ≥ 18 years of age must have progressive, unresectable metastatic melanoma (Stage IIIc or Stage IV) following ≥1 line of prior systemic therapy including immune checkpoint inhibitors and BRAF-targeted therapy (if BRAF mutation-positive). A minimum of 2 tumor lesions are required: 1 for resection and TIL manufacture and 1 for assessment of response by RECIST 1.1 criteria. Other major eligibility criteria include: adequate bone marrow, cardiac, liver, pulmonary, and renal function; ECOG PS of 0 or 1. Efficacy is being assessed as a function of ORR, CR rate, DOR, DCR, and PFS per RECIST 1.1 and OS. Assessment of safety data will be descriptive and based on the summarization of TEAEs, SAEs, AEs leading to discontinuation from treatment and the study, vital signs, physical examinations, and clinical laboratory tests. Citation Format: Amod Sarnaik, Brendan Curti, Diwakar Davar, Omid Hamid, Jose Lutzky, Melissa Wilson, Harriet Kluger, Jason Chesney, Kevin Kim, Giao Phan, Sajeve Thomas, Eric Whitman, Bente Larsen, Sam Suzuki, Nancy Samberg, Igor Gorbatchevsky, Maria Fardis, John M. Kirkwood. A phase II, multicenter study to assess the efficacy and safety of autologous tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (LN-144) for treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr CT169.

Allovectin-7, a bicistronic plasmid encoding human leukocyte antigen-B7 and beta-2 microglobulin formulated with a cationic lipid system, is an immunotherapeutic agent designed to express allogeneic major histocompatibility complex class I antigen upon intralesional administration. A phase 2 dose-escalation study (VCL-1005-208) was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Allovectin-7 in patients with metastatic melanoma. Eligible patients had stage III or IV metastatic melanoma recurrent or unresponsive to prior therapy, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 or 1, and adequate organ function. Patients with brain or visceral (except lung) metastases, abnormal lactate dehydrogenase, or any lesion greater than 100 cm were excluded. Patients received six weekly intralesional injections followed by 3 weeks of observation and evaluation. Overall response was assessed using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors guidelines. Patients with stable or responding disease were eligible to receive additional cycles of Allovectin-7. All 133 patients were evaluated for safety and 127 patients (2 mg, high dose) were evaluated for efficacy. Fifteen patients (11.8%, 95% confidence interval: 6.2-17.4) achieved an objective response with median duration of response of 13.8 months (95% confidence interval: 8.5, not estimable). A histological examination of tissue from two responding patients who had their lesions resected has shown no evidence of melanoma. Median time-to-progression in this study was 1.6 months. In conclusion, these results indicate that high-dose Allovectin-7 seems to be an active, well-tolerated treatment for selected stage III/IV metastatic melanoma patients with injectable cutaneous, subcutaneous, or nodal lesions.

TPS9595Background: Adoptive cell therapy utilizing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) is recognized as an effective treatment in metastatic melanoma and other solid tumors elliciting durable and ...

Purpose Treatment options for metastatic melanoma are limited. We conducted this phase II trial to assess the efficacy of JS1/34.5-/47-/granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in stages IIIc and IV disease. Patients and Methods Treatment involved intratumoral injection of up to 4 mL of 106 pfu/mL of JS1/34.5-/47-/GM-CSF followed 3 weeks later by up to 4 mL of 108 pfu/mL every 2 weeks for up to 24 treatments. Clinical activity (by RECIST [Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors]), survival, and safety parameters were monitored. Results Fifty patients (stages IIIc, n = 10; IVM1a, n = 16; IVM1b, n = 4; IVM1c, n = 20) received a median of six injection sets; 74% of patients had received one or more nonsurgical prior therapies for active disease, including dacarbazine/temozolomide or interleukin-2 (IL-2). Adverse effects were limited primarily to transient flu-like symptoms. The overall response rate by RECIST was 26% (complete response [CR], n = 8; partial response [PR], n = 5), and regression of both injected and distant (including visceral) lesions occurred. Ninety-two percent of the responses had been maintained for 7 to 31 months. Ten additional patients had stable disease (SD) for greater than 3 months, and two additional patients had surgical CR. On an extension protocol, two patients subsequently achieved CR by 24 months (one previously PR, one previously SD), and one achieved surgical CR (previously PR). Overall survival was 58% at 1 year and 52% at 24 months. Conclusion The 26% response rate, with durability in both injected and uninjected lesions including visceral sites, together with the survival rates, are evidence of systemic effectiveness. This effectiveness, combined with a limited toxicity profile, warrants additional evaluation of JS1/34.5-/47-/GM-CSF in metastatic melanoma. A US Food and Drug Administration–approved phase III investigation is underway.

Purpose To assess the antitumor activity of vitespen (autologous, tumor- derived heat shock protein gp96 peptide complexes) by determining whether patients with stage IV melanoma treated with vitespen experienced longer overall survival than patients treated with physician's choice. Patients and Methods Patients (N = 322) were randomly assigned 2:1 to receive vitespen or physician's choice (PC) of a treatment containing one or more of the following: dacarbazine, temozolomide, interleukin-2, or complete tumor resection. This open-label trial was conducted at 71 centers worldwide. Patients were monitored for safety and overall survival. Results Therapy with vitespen is devoid of significant toxicity. Patients randomly assigned to the vitespen arm received variable number of injections (range, 0 to 87; median, 6) in part because of the autologous nature of vitespen therapy. Intention-to-treat analysis showed that overall survival in the vitespen arm is statistically indistinguishable from that in the PC arm. Exploratory landmark analyses show that patients in the M1a and M1b substages receiving a larger number of vitespen immunizations survived longer than those receiving fewer such treatments. Such difference was not detected for substage M1c patients. Conclusion These results are consistent with the immunologic mechanism of action of vitespen, indicating delayed onset of clinical activity after exposure to the vaccine. The results suggest patients with M1a and M1b disease who are able to receive 10 or more doses of vitespen as the candidate population for a confirmatory study.

Purpose To compare the overall survival (OS) of patients with resected stage III melanoma administered active specific immunotherapy and low-dose interferon alfa-2b (IFN-α-2b) with the OS achieved using high-dose IFN-α-2b. Patients and Methods An Ad Hoc Melanoma Working Group of 25 investigators treated 604 patients from April 1997 to January 2003. Patients were stratified by sex and number of nodes and were randomly assigned to receive either 2 years of treatment with active specific immunotherapy with allogeneic melanoma lysates and low-dose IFN-α-2b (arm 1) or high-dose IFN-α-2b alone for 1 year (arm 2). Active specific immunotherapy was injected subcutaneously (SC) weekly for 4 weeks, at week 8, and bimonthly thereafter. IFN-α-2b SC was begun on week 4 and continued thrice weekly at 5 MU/m2 for 2 years. IFN-α-2b in arm 2 was administered according to the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group 1684 study regimen. Results Median follow-up time was 32 months for all patients and 42 months for surviving patients. Median OS time exceeds 84 months in arm 1 and is 83 months in arm 2 (P = .56). Five-year OS rate is 61% in arm 1 and 57% in arm 2. Estimated 5-year relapse-free survival (RFS) rate is 50% in arm 1 and 48% in arm 2, with median RFS times of 58 and 50 months, respectively. The incidence of serious adverse events as a result of treatment was the same in both arms, but more severe neuropsychiatric toxicity was seen in arm 2. Conclusion OS and RFS achieved by active specific immunotherapy and low-dose IFN-α-2b were indistinguishable from those achieved by high-dose IFN-α-2b. Long RFS and OS times were observed in both treatment arms.

WLE has undergone many changes over the past century, most of them within the past 10 to 15 years. The first case of malignant melanoma was reported in the late 1700s and the term ‘‘melanosis’’ was first used in the early 1800s, but the recommended surgical treatment for melanoma did not clearly evolve until the early 1900s [1]. Prior to the early 1900s, it was generally recommended that the primary cancer be removed in its entirety with some surrounding normal tissue, often including the regional lymph nodes. In 1907, Dr. Handley presented two lectures on melanoma. Based on a single patient with an advanced melanoma, he demonstrated the hypothetical anatomic routes, particularly the lymphatic pathways, by which melanoma might spread. Based on his limited data, he recommended WLE with about 2.5 cm margins circumferentially and 2.5-cm-deep subcutaneous tissue margins [2]. From both Dr. Handley’s report and other widespread clinical experience (but not documented survival or recurrence data), a surgical standard for melanoma treatment evolved and was largely followed for the next 50 years. This standard defined an adequate WLE for melanoma as including circumferential, 4-cm margins including the underlying subcutaneous tissue. This aggressive surgical treatment was largely followed throughout the world [1] until the late 1970s, when several investigators began to examine it more scientifically to determine whether or not a 4-cm margin was adequate and necessary. Initially, retrospective data suggested that more narrow margins might adequately excise some melanomas. More recently, randomized prospective trials have identified adequate surgical margins to treat melanoma based primarily on the Breslow thickness of the primary tumor.

Laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) has been used to treat a variety of splenic disorders. However, there have been few direct comparisons of this approach with open splenectomy (OS).Results and outcomes were compared retrospectively in 46 consecutive patients treated by laparoscopic (n = 26) or open splenectomy (n = 20) from January 1990 through March 1996. The two groups were similar in age, sex, and American Society of Anesthesiology classification. Splenectomy was performed for a variety of indications, and the majority of patients in both groups had normal or near-normal size spleens. All data are expressed as mean +/- standard deviation.Laparoscopic splenectomy was successfully completed in all 26 attempted cases. Operative times were significantly longer for LS (202 +/- 55 minutes) than for OS (134 +/- 43 minutes) (P0.001); however, operative times in the last 13 LS cases (176 +/- 48 minutes) averaged 51 minutes less than in the first 13 cases (227 +/- 51 minutes). Estimated operative blood loss was less for LS (222 +/- 280 mL) than for OS (376 +/- 500 mL) (P = not significant). A mean of 2.0 units of red blood cells was transfused in 4 (15%) of 26 patients during LS vs 1.0 unit transfused in 2 (10%) of 20 patients who had OS (P = NS). Patients who underwent LS required significantly less parenteral pain medications, had a more rapid return to regular diet, and were discharged sooner than patients who had OS. Complication rates were similar in the two groups.These results suggest that LS is technically safe and has several advantages over OS. Laparoscopic splenectomy should become the procedure of choice for the removal of normal and near-normal size spleens.

e21052Background: The landscape of systemic therapy for advanced melanoma has been changing quickly, beginning in March 2011 with ipilimumab approval, followed by approvals of BRAF/MEK inhibitors, ...

9553Background: CAVATAK, an oncolytic immunotherapy, is a bio-selected oncolytic strain of Coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21). Intratumoral (IT) injection of CVA21 induces lytic tumor cell infection, up-re...

TPS9600Background: Intralesional rose bengal (PV-10) is an investigational small molecule ablative immunotherapy that can elicit primary ablation of injected tumors and secondary T-cell activation....

Human interleukin-1 beta (hIL-1 beta) injected intratumorally has demonstrated growth inhibition of transplanted subcutaneous tumors in mice, regression of metastatic lesions, resistance to tumor rechallenge, and increased survival. Vaccinia virus (VV) can be genetically engineered to produce cytokines and may be an effective vector for gene therapy of cancer. This study was designed to (a) construct a VV expressing hIL-1 beta, (b) assess tumor cell infection in vitro with this construct, (c) measure hIL-1 beta production, and (d) assess the bioactivity of the secreted cytokine.The hIL-1 beta gene was amplified from a plasmid clone using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and then cloned into a homologous recombination (HR) and expression vector, which was used to insert the hIL-1 beta gene into the VV genome. Selection of the recombinant VV (vMJ601hIL-1 beta) was based on inactivation of viral TK and expression of beta-galactosidase. vMJ601hIL-1 beta infectivity and cytokine production was assessed by infecting tumor cell lines and analyzing culture supernatants for hIL-1 beta. Bioactivity of the hIL-1 beta produced was demonstrated using an IL-1 dependent T helper cell line.The hIL-1 beta gene was successfully cloned into the VV genome by HR, which was confirmed by PCR. vMJ601hIL-1 beta efficiently infected tumor cells, as shown by increased hIL-1 beta secretion (0 to500 ng/ml) and morphologic evidence of viral cytopathic effect. vMJ601hIL-1 beta-infected cells secreted large amounts of hIL-1 beta (mean 772 ng/10(6) cells/24 h). The secreted hIL-1 beta was bioactive (mean bioactivity 6.8 x 10(8) U/mg of hIL-1 beta).(a) hIL-1 beta can be cloned into VV, (b) vMJ601hIL-1 beta retains its infectivity, (c) a large amount of hIL-1 beta is secreted, and (d) the secreted hIL-1 beta is bioactive. Recombinant VV may allow in situ cytokine gene delivery and expression in established tumors.

Medical care is rapidly changing in the United States, regardless of what this Congress does or what the last Congress did not do. I believe these changes will force health care providers to concentrate on the systematic evaluation of the structure and results of their practice, both financially and clinically. This can be accom, plished by a set of techniques globally referred to as "outcome analysis." Many government institutions aI, ready use this concept to analyze the clinical efficacy of various medical interventions. Unfortunately, these on, going programs tend to focus on certain situations, such as cardiac surgery, while ignoring others, and are subject to the political necessities of all governmental oversight or intervention. Thus, it is probably best to develop or use a system that focuses on your area of clinical exper, tise as a proactive way of establishing the standard of care in your field. Over the next several issues of this journal, I will discuss the implementation of an out, come,analysis program specific to vascular access de, vices (VADs), based on the ongoing experience of the Vascular Access Service (VAS) of Washington Univer, sity Medical Center in St. Louis.