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
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)
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)
Review
Cell Biology
Norah Aldrak, Sarah Alsaab, Aliyah Algethami, Deepak Bhere, Hiroaki Wakimoto, Khalid Shah, Mohammad N. Alomary, Nada Zaidan
Summary: Oncolytic virotherapy, particularly using oHSV, has emerged as a viable therapeutic option for aggressive and resistant cancers. oHSV can target cancer cells and activate the host immunity to attack tumors, leading to direct killing of cancer cells. Different variants of oHSV have been developed to optimize its anti-tumor effects in clinical trials.
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
Pediatrics
Lucas Moreno, Pierre Teira, James M. Croop, Nicolas U. Gerber, Nicolas Andre, Isabelle Aerts, Luis Gros Subias, Bram De Wilde, Francisco Bautista, Brian Turpin, Srinivasa Kunduri, Ali Hamidi, Tatiana Lawrence, Keri A. Streby
Summary: This study evaluated the safety and tolerability of T-VEC in pediatric patients with advanced non-central nervous system tumors. The results showed that T-VEC was well-tolerated but did not demonstrate significant efficacy.
FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS
(2023)
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)
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
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
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
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
Josep Malvehy, Igor Samoylenko, Dirk Schadendorf, Ralf Gutzmer, Jean-Jacques Grob, Joseph J. Sacco, Kevin S. Gorski, Abraham Anderson, Cheryl A. Pickett, Kate Liu, Helen Gogas
Summary: This study demonstrates that T-VEC induces systemic immune activity and modifies the tumor microenvironment, potentially enhancing the efficacy of combination immunotherapy with other agents.
JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Jens Tijtgat, Jolien De Munck, Ines Dufait, Julia Katharina Schwarze, Ivan Van Riet, Lorenzo Franceschini, Karine Breckpot, Joeri L. Aerts, Bart Neyns, Sandra Tuyaerts
Summary: The study found that T-VEC is non-toxic to human myDC and can promote the maturation of myDC, facilitating the uptake and presentation of melanoma-derived tumor antigens. The results support the potential role of myDC in mediating an adaptive anti-tumor effect.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(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)
Review
Oncology
Akshat Malik, John C. Hardman, Yadsan Devabalan, Christopher Nutting, Shreerang Bhide, Kevin Harrington, Clare Schilling, Vinidh Paleri
Summary: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate occult contralateral nodal metastases (OCM) in patients undergoing bilateral neck dissection for surgically treated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). The study found that OCM were seen in 9.8% of patients, with a higher rate in cN positive necks compared to cN0 necks. This highlights the importance of considering contralateral neck involvement in the surgical treatment of OPSCC.
Article
Oncology
Kevin J. Harrington, Barbara Burtness, Richard Greil, Denis Soulieres, Makoto Tahara, Gilberto de Castro Jr, Amanda Psyrri, Irene Brana, Neus Baste, Prakash Neupane, Ase Bratland, Thorsten Fuereder, Brett G. M. Hughes, Ricard Mesia, Nuttapong Ngamphaiboon, Tamara Rordorf, Wan Zamaniah Wan Ishak, Jianxin Lin, Burak Gumuscu, Ramona F. Swaby, Danny Rischin
Summary: The study presents a post hoc analysis of the long-term efficacy and progression-free survival in recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with pembrolizumab and pembrolizumab-chemotherapy as next-line therapy. The results demonstrate favorable clinical efficacy and progression-free survival with pembrolizumab and pembrolizumab-chemotherapy in patients with programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) combined positive score (CPS) >= 20, CPS >= 1, and total populations. Subsequent treatments after pembrolizumab-based therapy also showed good efficacy.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
A. Psyrri, J. Fayette, K. Harrington, M. Gillison, M. -J. Ahn, S. Takahashi, J. Weiss, J. -P. Machiels, S. Baxi, A. Vasilyev, A. Karpenko, M. Dvorkin, C. -Y. Hsieh, S. C. Thungappa, P. P. Segura, I. Vynnychenko, R. Haddad, S. Kasper, P. -S. Mauz, V. Baker, P. He, B. Evans, S. Wildsmith, R. F. Olsson, A. Yovine, J. F. Kurland, N. Morsli, T. Y. Seiwert
Summary: The study compared the efficacy of durvalumab with or without tremelimumab versus the EXTREME regimen in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC). The results showed that in patients with high PD-L1 expression, durvalumab had comparable overall survival with the EXTREME regimen. However, durvalumab alone and in combination with tremelimumab showed durable responses and reduced treatment-related adverse events compared to the EXTREME regimen.
ANNALS OF ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Charles M. Rudin, Hardev S. Pandha, Matthew Zibelman, Wallace L. Akerley, Kevin J. Harrington, Daphne Day, Andrew G. Hill, Steven J. O'Day, Timothy D. Clay, Gavin M. Wright, Ross R. Jennens, David E. Gerber, Jonathan E. Rosenberg, Christy Ralph, David C. Campbell, Brendan D. Curti, Jaime R. Merchan, Yixin Ren, Emmett Schmidt, Lisa Guttman, Sumati Gupta
Summary: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of V937 combined with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced solid tumors. The results showed that the combination therapy had a manageable safety profile, but did not achieve greater efficacy than pembrolizumab monotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer and urothelial cancer.
JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Sandro Anchisi, Anita Wolfer, Bettina Bisig, Edoardo Missiglia, Amine Tiab, Ehab Mohamed Kamel, Olivier Michielin, George Coukos, Krisztian Homicsko
Summary: The treatment of BRAFV600E mutant melanoma has been revolutionized by BRAF inhibitors, and BRAF/MEK combination has shown further improvements. BRAF inhibitor use has also been proposed in low-grade ovarian tumors.
CANCER BIOLOGY & THERAPY
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Robert I. Haddad, Kevin Harrington, Makoto Tahara, Petr Szturz, Christophe Le Tourneau, Satu Salmio, Marcis Bajars, Nancy Y. Lee
Summary: For the last 20 years, cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy has been the standard treatment for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (LA SCCHN) patients at high risk of recurrence. However, many patients are ineligible for this treatment due to various reasons. The criteria for cisplatin ineligibility, including age and renal impairment, are still debated. The proportion of cisplatin ineligible patients with resected LA SCCHN remains unclear. This review discusses cisplatin ineligibility considerations, limited clinical evidence, and ongoing clinical trials for alternative treatment options.
CANCER TREATMENT REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fanny Seraphine Krebs, Bianca Moura, Edoardo Missiaglia, Veronica Aedo-Lopez, Olivier Michielin, Petros Tsantoulis, Bettina Bisig, Mounir Trimech, Vincent Zoete, Krisztian Homicsko
Summary: The development of targeted therapies for non-BRAF p.Val600-mutant melanomas remains challenging as Triple wildtype (TWT) melanomas lacking BRAF, NRAS, or NF1 mutations are heterogeneous in their genomic drivers. MAP2K1 mutations are enriched in BRAF-mutant melanomas and function as resistance mechanisms to BRAF inhibition. This case study illustrates the difficulties in combining MEK1 and CDK4/6 inhibitors in the presence of resistance to MEK inhibitor monotherapy.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Kevin J. Harrington, Robert L. Ferris, Maura Gillison, Makoto Tahara, Athanasios Argiris, Jerome Fayette, Michael Schenker, Ase Bratland, John W. T. Walker, Peter Grell, Caroline Even, Christine H. Chung, Rebecca Redman, Alexandre Coutte, Sebastien Salas, Cliona Grant, Sergio de Azevedo, Denis Soulieres, Aaron R. Hansen, Li Wei, Tariq Aziz Khan, Karen Miller-Moslin, Mustimbo Roberts, Robert Haddad
Summary: The clinical benefit of first-line nivolumab plus ipilimumab was evaluated in patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN). The study found that nivolumab plus ipilimumab did not improve clinical outcomes compared to nivolumab alone in these patients. Further research is needed to identify subpopulations of R/M SCCHN patients who would benefit from nivolumab plus ipilimumab therapy.
Article
Oncology
Susan Lalondrelle, Jen Lee, Rosalind J. Cutts, Isaac Garcia Murillas, Nik Matthews, Nicholas Turner, Kevin Harrington, Katherine Vroobel, Emily Moretti, Shreerang A. Bhide
Summary: Human papilloma virus (HPV) is a major cause of cervical cancer, and there is currently no reliable method to predict early relapse. We have developed a blood test that can accurately detect HPV-DNA fragments in the blood, which can be used to assess treatment response and monitor relapse.
Article
Oncology
P. Martin, Z. Tsourti, J. Ribeiro, L. Castelo-Branco, E. de Azambuja, S. Gennatas, J. Rogado, M. Sekacheva, S. Susnjal, D. Vinal, R. Lee, S. Khallaf, G. Dimopoulou, S. Pradervand, J. Whisenant, T. K. Choueiri, D. Arnold, K. Harrington, K. Punie, J. Oliveira, O. Michielin, U. Dafni, S. Peters, G. Pentheroudakis, E. Romano
Summary: This paragraph summarizes the results of a study analyzing COVID-19 patients, which found that factors such as symptomatic patients, males, older age, ethnicity other than Asian/Caucasian, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status >2, body mass index <25, hematological malignancy, progressive disease versus no evident disease, and advanced cancer stage significantly affect COVID-19 outcomes.
Article
Oncology
Alexandra J. Rose, Mercedes M. Fleming, Jeffrey C. Francis, Jian Ning, Anton Patrikeev, Ritika Chauhan, Kevin J. Harrington, Amanda Swain
Summary: This study established patient-derived xenograft (PDX) lines and tumor organoid models for salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), and demonstrated the inhibitory effect of dBET6 on ACC cells. Molecular studies revealed a decrease in BRD4 and MYB protein levels and target gene expression with dBET6 treatment. In vivo experiments showed that dBET6 altered the relative composition of ACC cell types and inhibited their progenitor function.
JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Nikhil Manish Patel, Georgios Geropoulos, Pranav Harshad Patel, Ricky Harminder Bhogal, Kevin Joseph Harrington, Aran Singanayagam, Sacheen Kumar
Summary: Diagnosis of oesophago-gastric cancer is challenging, but non-invasive risk stratification can identify susceptible patients with pre-malignant or benign diseases. Early oesophago-gastric cancer can be treated sooner following diagnostic confirmation through endoscopic biopsy. Mucins, transmembrane glycoproteins implicated in oesophago-gastric cancer, have the potential to be used as biomarkers for malignant transformation. This systematic review examines the role of mucins in the diagnosis of oesophago-gastric cancer.
Meeting Abstract
Oncology
Georgia M. Beasley, Ari M. VanderWalde, Tawnya L. Bowles, Joseph J. Sacco, Jiaxin Niu, Katy K. Tsai, Jason A. Chesney, Bartosz Chmielowski, Adel Samson, Terence Duane Rhodes, Gino K. In, Anna C. Pavlick, Trisha M. Wise-Draper, Miguel F. Sanmamed, Jeannie Hou, Mark R. Middleton, Kevin Harrington, Celeste Lebbe, Judith Michels, Mohammed M. Milhem
ANNALS OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Ashwin Algudkar, Kevin Harrington, Cyrus Kerawala, Izhar Bagwan, Derfel Ap Dafydd
Summary: This study summarizes the imaging recommendations and characteristics of head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM), and provides revised guidelines to guide the investigation and management of this rare and aggressive cancer.
ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY-HEIDELBERG
(2023)
Article
Oncology
K. J. Harrington, E. E. W. Cohen, D. Soulieres, J. Dinis, L. Licitra, M. -j. Ahn, A. Soria, J. -p. Machiels, N. Mach, R. Mehra, B. Burtness, R. F. Swaby, J. Lin, J. Ge, N. Lerman, C. Le Tourneau
Summary: Through a study on patients with HNSCC, it was found that pembrolizumab provided longer overall survival and durable responses in all subgroups of recurrence patterns, regardless of previous treatment.