Abstract 3454
Background
The clinical benefit of combined treatment with BRAF- and MEK-inhibitors (BRAFi; MEKi) in BRAFV600 mutant (BRAFm) melanoma is limited due to resistance after 6-14 months, associated with emerging secondary mutations. Withholding of treatment leads to reversible hyperactivation of the MAPK pathway, causing transient growth arrest and increase in Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in preclinical studies. Treatment of BRAFi/MEKi resistant melanoma cells with vorinostat leads to a further increase in ROS, effectively killing BRAFi resistant cells. In vivo, switch from BRAFi to vorinostat in BRAFi resistant BRAFm melanoma resulted in a decline in tumor volume. Six patients with resistant BRAFm melanoma were treated with vorinostat 360 mg QD continuously. These patients revealed regression of mutant clones and progression of BRAFi sensitive clones. Tumor biopsies showed newly developed secondary MAPK pathway mutations, e.g. NRASQ61H and KRASG12C amplifications at start and a complete absence of these resistant mutations after two weeks of vorinostat. Based on these findings we postulate that BRAFi resistant BRAFm melanoma cells can be eliminated by a short treatment with vorinostat due to killing of tumor cells harboring a secondary mutation in the MAPK pathway. In vitro experiments confirmed this hypothesis.
Trial design
This is a proof of concept study to determine the efficacy of sequential treatment with vorinostat and BRAFi/MEKi in BRAFi resistant BRAFm melanoma. Patients with age ≥ 18 years, WHO performance 0-2 and progression on BRAFi/MEKi are eligible. 26 evaluable patients with resistant BRAFm melanoma will be treated with vorinostat 360 mg continuously for 2 weeks and thereafter switch back to BRAFi/MEKi. The primary aim is to demonstrate ≥ 30% anti-tumor response of progressive lesions according to RECIST 1.1 upon sequenced treatment with vorinostat and BRAFi/MEKi. Secondary endpoints are to demonstrate that emerging resistant clones with a secondary mutation in the MAPK pathway can be detected by ctDNA analysis and purged by short term treatment with vorinostat. Blood and tumor biopsies will be taken for pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and pharmacogenetic exploratory analyses.
Clinical trial identification
NCT02836548.
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
The Netherlands Cancer Institute.
Funding
Oncode.
Disclosure
J.H.M. Schellens: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, and patent holder on oral taxenes: Modra Pharmaceutical. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
Resources from the same session
3664 - Longitudinal changes in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) methylation levels identify early non-responders to treatment in advanced solid tumors
Presenter: Andrew Davis
Session: Poster Display session 3
Resources:
Abstract
3212 - Multigene panel testing results for hereditary breast cancer in 1325 individuals: implications for gene selection and considerations for guidelines.
Presenter: Georgios Tsaousis
Session: Poster Display session 3
Resources:
Abstract
2591 - PIK3R5 genetic predictors of hypertension induced by VEGF-pathway inhibitors
Presenter: Julia Quintanilha
Session: Poster Display session 3
Resources:
Abstract
4377 - ERBB2 mRNA as a predictor in HER2-positive (HER2+)/hormone receptor-positive (HR+) metastatic breast cancer (BC) treated with HER2 blockade in combination with endocrine therapy (ET): a retrospective analysis of the ALTERNATIVE and SOLTI-PAMELA trials.
Presenter: Nuria Chic
Session: Poster Display session 3
Resources:
Abstract
3439 - Early on-treatment vs pre-treatment tumor transcriptomes as predictors of response to neoadjuvant therapy for HER2-positive inflammatory breast cancer
Presenter: Sonia Pernas
Session: Poster Display session 3
Resources:
Abstract
2512 - AXL expression predicts poor prognosis and lack of efficacy of anti-angiogenic and anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) agents in patients (pts) with RAS wild type (WT) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC)
Presenter: Claudia Cardone
Session: Poster Display session 3
Resources:
Abstract
4061 - Prevalence of EGFR mutations and its correlation with Egyptian patients’ human kinetics (PEEK Study)
Presenter: Adel Ibrahim
Session: Poster Display session 3
Resources:
Abstract
2547 - Evaluation of tumor microenvironment identifies immune correlates of response to combination immunotherapy with margetuximab (M) and pembrolizumab (P) in HER2+ gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA)
Presenter: Sergio Rutella
Session: Poster Display session 3
Resources:
Abstract
4671 - Clinicopathological and molecular criteria assessment for the screening of hypermutated proficient mismatch repair (pMMR) colorectal cancers (CRC) with exonucleasic domain POLE (edPOLE) mutations (mt).
Presenter: Benoit Rousseau
Session: Poster Display session 3
Resources:
Abstract
3862 - Tumor mutation burden and microsatellite instability in colorectal cancer
Presenter: Francesca Fenizia
Session: Poster Display session 3
Resources:
Abstract