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Pd-L1 Expression On Circulating Tumor Cells May Be Predictive Of Response To Pembrolizumab In Advanced Melanoma: Results From A Pilot Study, Muhammad K. Khattak, Anna L. Reid, James Freeman, Michelle Pereira, Ashleigh Mcevoy, Johnny Lo, Markus Frank, Tarek Meniawy, Ali Didan, Isaac Spencer, Benhur Amanuel, Michael Millward, Mel Ziman, Elin Gray

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

BACKGROUND: PD-1 inhibitors are routinely used for the treatment of advanced melanoma. This study sought to determine whether PD-L1 expression on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can serve as a predictive biomarker of clinical benefit and response to treatment with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab.

METHODS: Blood samples were collected from patients with metastatic melanoma receiving pembrolizumab, prior to treatment and 6-12 weeks after initiation of therapy. Multiparametric flow cytometry was used to identify CTCs and evaluate the expression of PD-L1.

RESULTS: CTCs were detected in 25 of 40 patients (63%). Patients with detectable PD-L1

CONCLUSION: Our results reveal the potential of …

Eftilagimod Alpha, A Soluble Lymphocyte Activation Gene-3 (Lag-3) Protein Plus Pembrolizumab In Patients With Metastatic Melanoma, Victoria Atkinson, Adnan Khattak, Andrew Haydon, Melissa Eastgate, Amitesh Roy, Prashanth Prithviraj, Christian Mueller, Chrystelle Brignone, Frederic Triebel

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. BACKGROUND: To evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of eftilagimod alpha (efti), a soluble lymphocyte activation gene-3 protein, in combination with the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) antagonist pembrolizumab. METHODS: The study was divided into two parts; parts A and B, where part A was the dose escalation part and part B was an extension part of the study. Patients with metastatic melanoma were treated with efti plus the standard dose of pembrolizumab. Blood samples were assayed to determine …

The Prognostic Impact Of Circulating Tumour Dna In Melanoma Patients Treated With Systemic Therapies—Beyond Braf Mutant Detection, Gabriela Marsavela, Peter A. Johansson, Michelle R. Pereira, Ashleigh C. Mcevoy, Anna L. Reid, Cleo Robinson, Lydia Warburton, Muhammad A. Khattak, Tarek M. Meniawy, Benhur Amanuel, Michael Millward, Nicholas K. Hayward, Melanie R. Ziman, Elin S. Gray, Leslie Calapre

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. In this study, we evaluated the predictive value of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) to inform therapeutic outcomes in metastatic melanoma patients receiving systemic therapies. We analysed 142 plasma samples from metastatic melanoma patients prior to commencement of systemic therapy: 70 were treated with BRAF/MEK inhibitors and 72 with immunotherapies. Patient-specific droplet digital polymerase chain reaction assays were designed for ctDNA detection. Plasma ctDNA was detected in 56% of patients prior to first-line anti-PD1 and/or anti-CTLA-4 treatment. The detection rate in the immunotherapy cohort was comparably lower than those with BRAF inhibitors …