Review
Oncology
Pier Francesco Ferrucci, Laura Pala, Fabio Conforti, Emilia Cocorocchio
Summary: Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is an oncolytic viral immunotherapy approved for the treatment of melanoma, aiming to trigger immune responses locally and potentially synergize with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Article
Oncology
Evalyn E. A. P. Mulder, Emma H. A. Stahlie, Danielle Verver, Clara Lemstra, Lukas B. Been, Antien L. Mooyaart, Tessa Brabander, Erik Vegt, Frederik A. Verburg, Astrid A. M. van der Veldt, Cornelis Verhoef, Alexander C. J. van Akkooi, Dirk J. Grunhagen
Summary: T-VEC treatment may lead to new FDG uptake in locoregional lymph nodes, which could be falsely classified as suspected metastases. Physicians should be cautious of the high false positive rate of FDG uptake during T-VEC treatment and consider pathological examination of lymph node lesions to differentiate between disease progression and immune infiltration.
JOURNAL OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Tiantian Zhang, Tony Hong-Ting Jou, Jerline Hsin, Zhe Wang, Kelly Huang, Jian Ye, Holly Yin, Yan Xing
Summary: The past decade has witnessed a significant revolution in melanoma treatment. Oncolytic viruses (OVs) have emerged as a promising therapeutic approach for selectively infecting and killing tumor cells, as well as inducing anti-tumor immune responses. Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC), a genetically modified herpes simplex virus (HSV), is the first OV approved by the FDA for melanoma treatment and has shown promising therapeutic effects both as a monotherapy and in combination with other immunotherapies. This article provides a comprehensive review of OVs and the application of T-VEC in melanoma treatment, as well as its recent progress in other cutaneous cancer types. Furthermore, the authors share their experience of T-VEC therapy at City of Hope, aiming to provide further insights for expanding its future application.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Julia Maria Ressler, Matthias Karasek, Lukas Koch, Rita Silmbrod, Joanna Mangana, Sofiya Latifyan, Veronica Aedo-Lopez, Helmut Kehrer, Felix Weihsengruber, Peter Koelblinger, Christian Posch, Julian Kofler, Olivier Michielin, Erika Richtig, Christine Hafner, Christoph Hoeller
Summary: The study assessed the outcomes of 88 melanoma patients treated with T-VEC, showing an overall response rate of 63.7% and 43.2% achieving a complete response. The median treatment period was 19 weeks, with 45.3% of patients experiencing adverse events, mostly mild in nature.
JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Jason A. Chesney, Igor Puzanov, Frances A. Collichio, Parminder Singh, Mohammed M. Milhem, John Glaspy, Omid Hamid, Merrick Ross, Philip Friedlander, Claus Garbe, Theodore Logan, Axel Hauschild, Celeste Lebbe, Harshada Joshi, Wendy Snyder, Janice M. Mehnert
Summary: In a randomized phase II study, the combination of T-VEC and ipilimumab showed greater antitumor activity compared to ipilimumab alone in patients with advanced melanoma. The 5-year outcomes demonstrated long-lasting efficacy and safety for the combination therapy of an oncolytic virus and a checkpoint inhibitor.
JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
(2023)
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Alexander C. J. van Akkooi, Sebastian Haferkamp, Sophie Papa, Viola Franke, Andreas Pinter, Carsten Weishaupt, Margit A. Huber, Carmen Loquai, Erika Richtig, Priya Gokani, Katarina Ohrling, Karly S. Louie, Peter Mohr
Summary: This study examined the real-world use of T-VEC for unresectable melanoma in four European countries, with differences noted in the use of T-VEC between countries, particularly in the Netherlands where it was used in earlier disease stages and as a first-line therapy.
ADVANCES IN THERAPY
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Emma H. A. Stahlie, Evalyn E. A. P. Mulder, Sophie Reijers, Sara Balduzzi, Charlotte L. Zuur, Willem M. C. Klop, Bernies van der Hiel, Bart A. Van de Wiel, Michel W. J. M. Wouters, Yvonne M. Schrage, Winan J. van Houdt, Dirk J. Grunhagen, Alexander C. J. van Akkooi
Summary: Single-agent T-VEC is effective and well-tolerated in the treatment of unresectable and injectable stage III-IV melanoma, achieving high response rates especially in early metastatic melanoma patients.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN ONCOLOGY HEMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Naoya Yamazaki, Taiki Isei, Yoshio Kiyohara, Hiroshi Koga, Takashi Kojima, Tatsuya Takenouchi, Kenji Yokota, Kenjiro Namikawa, Min Yi, Alissa Keegan, Satoshi Fukushima
Summary: T-VEC has been approved for the treatment of unresectable melanoma in some countries. This study evaluated its safety and efficacy in Japanese patients with unresectable melanoma. The results showed that T-VEC had acceptable safety and good tolerability, with some patients achieving durable responses.
Article
Oncology
Jason A. Chesney, Antoni Ribas, Georgina Long, John M. Kirkwood, Reinhard Dummer, Igor Puzanov, Christoph Hoeller, Thomas F. Gajewski, Ralf Gutzmer, Piotr Rutkowski, Lev Demidov, Petr Arenberger, Sang Joon Shin, Pier Francesco Ferrucci, Andrew Haydon, John Hyngstrom, Johannes van Thienen, Sebastian Haferkamp, Josep Malvehy Guilera, Bernardo Leon Rapoport, Ari VanderWalde, Scott J. Diede, James R. Anderson, Sheryl Treichel, Edward L. Chan, Sumita Bhatta, Jennifer Gansert, Frank Stephen Hodi, Helen Gogas
Summary: In this phase III study, the combination of T-VEC and pembrolizumab did not significantly improve progression-free survival or overall survival in patients with advanced melanoma. These findings indicate that this combination therapy is not effective in this patient population.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Song Y. Park, Austin R. Green, Rouba Hadi, Coley Doolittle-Amieva, Jennifer Gardner, Ata S. Moshiri
Summary: Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is a popular treatment option for surgically non-resectable, recurrent melanoma. Clinical observations show rapid tumor size decrease and prolonged improvement in pigmentation, possibly due to tumorous melanosis. Biopsies after clinical responses reveal non-viable or absent tumor tissue with tumorous melanosis.
JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Howard L. Kaufman, Sophia Z. Shalhout, Gail Iodice
Summary: This review provides an overview of the advancements in using T-VEC for melanoma patients and its expansion to non-melanoma cancers. The clinical trial results of T-VEC combination studies are also discussed, along with strategies to identify predictive biomarkers. The review sets the stage for future investigations and highlights the potential of oncolytic viruses in treating cancer.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Megumi Kai, Angela N. Marx, Diane D. Liu, Yu Shen, Hui Gao, James M. Reuben, Gary Whitman, Savitri Krishnamurthy, Merrick Ross, Jennifer K. Litton, Bora Lim, Nuhad Ibrahim, Takahiro Kogawa, Naoto T. Ueno
Summary: In this study, intratumoral administration of T-VEC as monotherapy for inoperable locoregional recurrence of breast cancer did not achieve complete or partial response in most patients. Most patients withdrew prematurely due to disease progression, with only two patients experiencing clinically stable disease after 8 cycles. The most common adverse event was injection site reaction. Further studies are needed to explore the potential benefits of combining intratumoral T-VEC with systemic therapy.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Lauren M. B. Burke, Hyeon Yu, Kaleigh Burke, Morgan Gwynn, Raphael J. Louie, David W. Ollila, Paula Landman RN, Frances Collichio
Summary: The study evaluated the safety and feasibility of ultrasound-guided intralesional injection of T-VEC in patients with advanced non-palpable melanoma, finding it to be technically successful with no injection-related complications. Follow-up showed varying tumor responses, with some patients experiencing post-treatment symptoms.
CARDIOVASCULAR AND INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Mohammad Fazel, Neda AlRawashdh, Ahmad Alamer, Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski, Ivo Abraham
Summary: The research conducted an indirect comparison and found that T-VEC + IPI may significantly improve overall survival compared to using T-VEC alone in treating melanoma. This suggests that adding T-VEC to advanced melanoma treatment regimens as salvage therapy could be beneficial for select patients.
EXPERT OPINION ON BIOLOGICAL THERAPY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Viola Franke, Emma H. A. Stahlie, Willem M. C. Klop, Charlotte L. L. Zuur, Danique M. S. Berger, Bernies van der Hiel, Bart A. A. van de Wiel, Michel W. J. M. Wouters, Winan J. J. van Houdt, Alexander C. J. van Akkooi
Summary: Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is a modified herpes simplex virus used for intralesional treatment in patients with unresectable melanoma in the head and neck region. It has shown promising results and can be considered as an alternative to systemic therapy in this patient population.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Lauren M. B. Burke, Hyeon Yu, Kaleigh Burke, Morgan Gwynn, Raphael J. Louie, David W. Ollila, Paula Landman RN, Frances Collichio
Summary: The study evaluated the safety and feasibility of ultrasound-guided intralesional injection of T-VEC in patients with advanced non-palpable melanoma, finding it to be technically successful with no injection-related complications. Follow-up showed varying tumor responses, with some patients experiencing post-treatment symptoms.
CARDIOVASCULAR AND INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
E. H. A. Stahlie, B. van der Hiel, A. Bruining, B. van de Wiel, Y. M. Schrage, M. W. J. M. Wouters, W. J. van Houdt, A. C. J. van Akkooi
Summary: Ultrasound and F-18-FDG PET/CT imaging detected metastases in 22% of stage IIB/C melanoma patients, altering their treatment plan. Preoperative negative imaging does not rule out the presence of sentinel lymph node metastases, thus SLNB is still necessary.
Article
Surgery
Kristy K. Broman, Tasha M. Hughes, Lesly A. Dossett, James Sun, Michael J. Carr, Dennis A. Kirichenko, Avinash Sharma, Edmund K. Bartlett, Amanda A. G. Nijhuis, John F. Thompson, Tina J. Hieken, Lisa Kottschade, Jennifer Downs, David E. Gyorki, J. Jennifer Gyorki, Emma Stahlie, Alexander van Akkooi, David W. Ollila, Jill Frank, Yun Song, Giorgos Karakousis, Marc Moncrieff, Jenny Nobes, John Vetto, Dale Han, Jeffrey Farma, Jeremiah L. Deneve, Martin D. Fleming, Matthew Perez, Kirsten Baecher, Michael Lowe, Roger Olofsson Bagge, Jan Mattsson, Ann Y. Lee, Russell S. Berman, Harvey Chai, Hidde M. Kroon, Roland M. Teras, Juri Teras, Norma E. Farrow, Georgia M. Beasley, Jane Y. C. Hui, Lukas Been, Schelto Kruijff, David Boulware, Amod A. Sarnaik, Vernon K. Sondak, Jonathan S. Zager
Summary: This study compared the management of high-risk features in sentinel lymph node-positive melanoma patients, including microsatellites, extranodal extension, or more than 3 positive SLNs. The results showed that patients with these high-risk features had a higher risk of recurrence. For patients managed with nodal surveillance, SLN-basin recurrences were more frequent, but overall recurrence and melanoma-specific mortality rates were comparable to those treated with CLND.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Emma H. A. Stahlie, Viola Franke, Charlotte L. Zuur, Willem M. C. Klop, Bernies van der Hiel, Bart A. van de Wiel, Michel W. J. M. Wouters, Yvonne M. Schrage, Winan J. van Houdt, Alexander C. J. van Akkooi
Summary: The study demonstrates that intralesional T-VEC monotherapy can achieve high complete and durable responses. The prediction model suggests that using T-VEC in patients with less tumor burden is associated with better outcomes, indicating the potential benefit of earlier intervention in the disease course.
CANCER IMMUNOLOGY IMMUNOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Kristy Kummerow Broman, Tasha Hughes, Lesly Dossett, James Sun, Dennis Kirichenko, Michael J. Carr, Avinash Sharma, Edmund K. Bartlett, Amanda A. G. Nijhuis, John F. Thompson, Tina J. Hieken, Lisa Kottschade, Jennifer Downs, David E. Gyorki, Emma Stahlie, Alexander van Akkooi, David W. Ollila, Jill Frank, Yun Song, Giorgos Karakousis, Marc Moncrieff, Jenny Nobes, John Vetto, Dale Han, Jeffrey M. Farma, Jeremiah L. Deneve, Martin D. Fleming, Matthew C. Perez, Michael C. Lowe, Roger Olofsson Bagge, Jan Mattsson, Ann Y. Lee, Russell S. Berman, Harvey Chai, Hidde M. Kroon, Juri Teras, Roland M. Teras, Norma E. Farrow, Georgia Beasley, Jane Yuet Ching Hui, Lukas Been, Schelto Kruijff, Youngchul Kim, Syeda Mahrukh Hussnain Naqvi, Amod A. Sarnaik, Vernon K. Sondak, Jonathan S. Zager
Summary: For patients with sentinel lymph node-positive cutaneous melanoma, real-world outcomes align with randomized trial findings, showing that most patients now adopt active surveillance with equivalent survival outcomes. Adjuvant therapy improves all-site recurrence-free survival, while nodal management or adjuvant treatment do not affect disease-specific survival or distant metastasis-free survival.
Article
Oncology
Evalyn E. A. P. Mulder, Emma H. A. Stahlie, Danielle Verver, Clara Lemstra, Lukas B. Been, Antien L. Mooyaart, Tessa Brabander, Erik Vegt, Frederik A. Verburg, Astrid A. M. van der Veldt, Cornelis Verhoef, Alexander C. J. van Akkooi, Dirk J. Grunhagen
Summary: T-VEC treatment may lead to new FDG uptake in locoregional lymph nodes, which could be falsely classified as suspected metastases. Physicians should be cautious of the high false positive rate of FDG uptake during T-VEC treatment and consider pathological examination of lymph node lesions to differentiate between disease progression and immune infiltration.
JOURNAL OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Oncology
Emma H. A. Stahlie, Michael J. Carr, Jonathan S. Zager, Alexander C. J. van Akkooi
ANNALS OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Emma H. A. Stahlie, Michael J. Carr, Jonathan S. Zager, Alexander C. J. van Akkooi
Summary: The study validated a predictive model for complete response to T-VEC in melanoma patients, showing good predictive accuracy between the two cohorts. Patients with fewer and smaller metastases responded better to this treatment.
ANNALS OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Oncology
Emma H. A. Stahlie, Alexander C. J. van Akkooi
ANNALS OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Philip D. Sloane, Jaclyn N. Portelli Tremont, Karen J. Brasel, Jugdeep Dhesi, Jonathan Hewitt, Bellal A. Joseph, Fred C. Ko, Alfred W. C. Kow, Sandya A. Lagoo-Deenadelayan, Cari R. Levy, Raphael J. Louie, Eleanor S. McConnell, Mark D. Neuman, Judith Partridge, Ronnie A. Rosenthal
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Richard J. B. Walker, Nicole J. Look Hong, Marc Moncrieff, Alexander C. J. van Akkooi, Evan Jost, Carolyn Nessim, Winan J. van Houdt, Emma H. A. Stahlie, Chanhee Seo, May Lynn Quan, J. Gregory McKinnon, Frances C. Wright, Michail N. Mavros
Summary: This study aimed to identify factors predicting SLNB positivity in patients with T1 melanoma. The results showed that Breslow thickness and mitotic rate were independent predictors of SLNB positivity in T1 melanoma patients.
ANNALS OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Dermatology
E. H. A. Stahlie, A. C. J. van Akkooi, E. Plasmeijer
Summary: This study investigated the feasibility of dermoscopy in monitoring the response to T-VEC. The results showed that dermoscopy can provide additional information for cutaneous melanoma metastases (CMM) with a pink pattern, but not for those with other patterns.
JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY AND VENEREOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Surgery
Kristalyn K. Gallagher, Kathleen Iles, Cherie Kuzmiak, Raphael Louie, Kandace P. McGuire, David W. Ollila
Summary: This study evaluated the feasibility and accuracy of RLR-TAD in node-positive breast cancer patients after neoadjuvant systemic therapy. The results showed that RLR-TAD performed well in accurately predicting axillary status.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS
(2022)