Combination Therapy for Advanced Acral Melanoma
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This article is a summary of international medical information and is not medical advice; it cannot replace the diagnosis or treatment plan of your attending physician. The medical technologies, drug information and clinical data presented here are compiled from public literature and official statements of major Japanese medical institutions; the applicability and outcome of any therapy vary with each patient and must be assessed individually by a qualified physician.
- April 27, 2015
- Reading time: 2 minutes
On June 1, 2023, Dr. Lili Mao and colleagues from the Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute published the results of a Phase 2 clinical trial in JAMA Oncology. The study evaluated the efficacy and safety of combining Camrelizumab (an anti-PD-1 antibody), Apatinib (a VEGFR-2 inhibitor), and Temozolomide (chemotherapy) as a first-line treatment for patients with untreated advanced acral melanoma.
Study Demographics: The trial enrolled 50 patients (64% male, N=32) with a median age of 57 years (range: 52–62). At a median follow-up of 13.4 months, the following clinical outcomes were reported:
Clinical Efficacy:
- Primary Endpoint (Objective Response Rate - ORR): 64.0%.
- Median Time to Response: 2.7 months.
- Median Duration of Response (DOR): 17.5 months.
- Disease Control Rate (DCR): 88.0%.
- Median Progression-Free Survival (PFS): 18.4 months.
- Median Overall Survival (OS): Not yet reached at the time of reporting.
Safety and Tolerability: Grade 3–4 adverse events included increased gamma-glutamyltransferase (30%), neutropenia (22%), increased blood bilirubin (20%), and increased aspartate aminotransferase (20%).
Conclusion: Based on the results of this Phase 2 trial, Dr. Lili Mao and the research team concluded that the combination of Camrelizumab, Apatinib, and Temozolomide demonstrated significant anti-tumor activity and a manageable safety profile. This combination has the potential to become a new standard of care for the first-line treatment of advanced acral melanoma.
Source: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/article-abstract/2805681
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