O'Day, Steven J

TPS3161 Background: VV1 is an oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus engineered to express human IFNβ to enhance cellular anti-tumor immune responses and tumor selectivity, and the human sodium iodide symporter (NIS) for virus tracking by SPECT imaging. Cancer cells are often hyporesponsive to IFNβ, enabling the efficient spread of VV1 and resulting in increased oncolysis. Differently from other oncolytic viruses, VV1 is suitable for both intra-tumoral (IT) and/or intra-venous (IV) administration. Despite considerable anti-tumor activity with checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) among some malignancies, long term survival and overall cures remain elusive. Prior Ph 1 studies have shown significant anti-tumor activity among several malignancies when VV1 was administered either as monotherapy or in combination with a CPI, despite progression on prior CPI monotherapy. Furthermore, pre- and post-treatment biopsy evaluations after VV1 treatment have demonstrated T cell infiltration and inflammation in both IT injected and non-injected lesions. Among IV treated patients (pts), IFNβ was detectable in the serum correlating with viral replication, making it an effective biomarker. C is a high-affinity potent human IgG4 anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody. Though approved for use in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, C has shown anti-tumor activity, similar to other CPI, in several other indications. Therefore, VV1 and C could be an attractive combination for the immunotherapy for several solid tumors. This study represents the first clinical evaluation of VV1 in combination with C in pts with advanced solid tumors. Methods: The Ph 2 Simon 2 stage five-arm study of IV administration VV1 in combination with IV C will enroll pts with advanced NSCLC, HCC, melanoma & endometrial cancer. Enrolled pts with NSCLC & melanoma will be recent CPI-progressors, whereas enrolled HCC & endometrial cancer will be CPI-naïve. The study’s objectives include assessment of preliminary anti-tumor activity, safety, & immuno-regulatory activity of the combination. Pts will receive IV VV1 once on D1 and IV C once every 3 weeks until confirmed disease progression or intolerable toxicity. Pts enrolled in one melanoma cohort will also receive IT VV1 administered to palpable lesions. Response will be assessed every 9 weeks per RECIST v1.1. The null hypothesis of each cohort’s ORR will be tested versus a one-sided alternative yielding a Type I error rate of 5% and power of 80%. Cohorts will be expanded based on signal of activity. Clinical trial information: NCT .

KEYNOTE-030 (ClinicalTrials.gov ID, NCT02083484) was a global expanded access program that allowed access to pembrolizumab, an antiprogrammed death 1 antibody, for patients with advanced melanoma before its regulatory approval. Patients with unresectable stage III/IV melanoma that progressed after standard-of-care therapy, including ipilimumab and, if BRAF V600 mutant, a BRAF inhibitor, were eligible to receive pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg every 3 weeks. Response was assessed by immune-related response criteria by investigator review. Adverse events (AEs) were graded according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.0. In the United States, 979 patients enrolled between April and September 2014. Of the 947 evaluable patients, 621 (65.6%) remained on treatment and transitioned to receive commercial pembrolizumab following approval by the Food and Drug Administration, whereas 326 (34.4%) discontinued, most commonly for disease progression (39.6%) or death (26.4%). Objective response rate was 14.5% (95% confidence interval, 12.2%–16.8%) in the treated population (n=947) and 22.1% (95% confidence interval, 18.8%–25.5%) in patients who had ≥1 response assessment reported (n=619). Twelve patients achieved complete response. One hundred eighty-one (19.1%) patients experienced ≥1 treatment-related AE, most commonly general disorders (8.0%), skin/subcutaneous tissue disorders (7.3%), and gastrointestinal disorders (6.4%); 29 (3.1%) patients experienced ≥1 grade 3/4 treatment-related AE. Immune-mediated AEs were also reported. There were no treatment-related deaths. The safety and efficacy observed in this expanded access program were consistent with those previously reported for similar populations and support the use of pembrolizumab for patients with advanced melanoma.

Purpose Metastatic melanoma, a highly vascularized tumor with strong expression of vascular endothelial growth factor, has an overall poor prognosis. We conducted a placebo-controlled, double-blind phase II study of carboplatin plus paclitaxel with or without bevacizumab in patients with previously untreated metastatic melanoma. Patients and Methods Patients were randomly assigned in a two-to-one ratio to carboplatin (area under the curve, 5) plus paclitaxel (175 mg/m 2 ) and bevacizumab (15 mg/kg; CPB) or placebo (CP) administered intravenously once every 3 weeks. Progression-free survival (PFS) was the primary end point. Secondary end points included overall survival (OS) and safety. Results Two hundred fourteen patients (73% with M1c disease) were randomly assigned. With a median follow-up of 13 months, median PFS was 4.2 months for the CP arm (n = 71) and 5.6 months for the CPB arm (n = 143; hazard ratio [HR], 0.78; P = .1414). Overall response rates were 16.4% and 25.5%, respectively (P = .1577). With 13-month follow-up, median OS was 8.6 months in the CP arm versus 12.3 months in the CPB arm (HR, 0.67; P = .0366), whereas in an evaluation 4 months later, it was 9.2 versus 12.3 months, respectively (HR, 0.79; P = .1916). In patients with elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (n = 84), median PFS and OS were longer in the CPB arm (PFS: 4.4 v 2.7 months; HR, 0.62; OS: 8.5 v 7.5 months; HR, 0.52). No new safety signals were observed. Conclusion The study did not meet the primary objective of statistically significant improvement in PFS with the addition of bevacizumab to carboplatin plus paclitaxel. A larger phase III study will be necessary to determine whether there is benefit to the addition of bevacizumab to carboplatin plus paclitaxel in this disease setting.