Lacking Overall IMspiration for Triplet Therapy in Melanoma? A Review of the Interim Analysis of IMspire150
2023
Melanoma
This Perspectives on the Science article examines the second interim overall-survival analysis of IMspire150 and the evolving role of BRAF/MEK/PD-L1 triplet therapy in BRAF V600-mutant advanced melanoma.
1Massachusetts General Hospital, Medicine and Dermatology, Boston, Massachusetts
2Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
3Mass Eye and Ear, Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, Boston, Massachusetts
4GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Washington, DC
5Massachusetts General Hospital, Surgery, Boston, Massachusetts
6National Institutes of Health, Dermatology Branch and Center for Immune-Oncology, Bethesda, Maryland
7Massachusetts General Hospital, Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
Featured Article
Ascierto PA, et al.Overall survival with first-line atezolizumab in combination with vemurafenib and cobimetinib in BRAF V600 mutation-positive advanced melanoma (IMspire150): second interim analysis of a multicentre, randomised, phase 3 study.Lancet Oncology. 2023;24(1):33–44. (Ascierto et al. 2023)
Introduction
On February 3rd, 2023 the multi-institutional Community of Cutaneous Oncology (CCO) Journal Club reviewed the recently published Lancet Oncology article “Overall survival with first-line atezolizumab in combination with vemurafenib and cobimetinib in BRAFV600 mutation-positive advanced melanoma (IMspire150): second interim analysis of a multicentre, randomised, phase 3 study”(Ascierto et al. 2023). Participants included clinicians and investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital, Mass Eye and Ear, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the National Institutes of Health, George Washington Medical Center, and Pennsylvania Hospital. Importantly, the comments in this article represent the views of the authors of this Perspectives on the Science piece after the Journal Club. It does not represent views of any other members of the CCO or the affiliated institutions. In this article we provide a summary of the discussion regarding this important contribution to the literature.
Background and Treatment Context
The treatment landscape for advanced melanoma has changed rapidly over the last ten years (Figure 1)(Miller et al. 2022). Options for patients with advanced disease include immune-directed therapies, such as anti-PD-1(L1), anti-CTLA-4 and anti-LAG-3 monoclonal antibodies, as well as oncogene-pathway targeted therapies (TT) for patients with actionable mutations, including kinase inhibitors directed at BRAF and MEK (Miller et al. 2014). Although dual BRAF/MEK inhibition (BRAFi/MEKi) is generally associated with higher response rates (Figure 2), immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have become a preferred first-line strategy for most patients with advanced disease due to the potential for durable responses (Figures 2, 3 and 4).
NoteFigure 1. Evolving treatment landscape in advanced melanoma
TREATMENT LANDSCAPE · 2011–2022
A decade transformed advanced melanoma treatment
Selected U.S. FDA approvals illustrate the successive introduction of checkpoint blockade, BRAF/MEK-targeted combinations, and the triplet regimen examined in IMspire150.
2011
Ipilimumab; vemurafenib
CTLA-4-directed immunotherapy and BRAF inhibition established distinct approaches to advanced melanoma
CTLA-4 / BRAF
2014
Dabrafenib plus trametinib; pembrolizumab
BRAF/MEK combination therapy and PD-1 inhibition broadened treatment options
BRAF/MEK · PD-1
2015
Nivolumab plus ipilimumab; vemurafenib plus cobimetinib
Dual checkpoint blockade and an additional BRAF/MEK regimen entered the treatment landscape
Dual ICI / BRAF/MEK
2018
Encorafenib plus binimetinib
Another BRAF/MEK combination was approved for BRAF V600-mutant unresectable or metastatic melanoma
BRAF/MEK
2020
Atezolizumab plus vemurafenib and cobimetinib
The IMspire150 triplet therapy received approval for BRAF V600-mutant advanced melanoma
BRAF/MEK/PD-L1
2022
Nivolumab plus relatlimab
Dual PD-1/LAG-3 blockade introduced another immune-based first-line option
PD-1 / LAG-3
Selected U.S. FDA approvals through the February 2023 Journal Club. This timeline is illustrative, not an exhaustive catalog; adjuvant-only indications are excluded.
Figure 1. Selected milestones in the expanding treatment landscape for unresectable or metastatic melanoma. The 2020 triplet approval contextualizes the clinical question addressed by the second interim analysis of IMspire150.
NoteFigure 2. Objective response rates of therapies for advanced melanoma
FRONT-LINE EFFICACY LANDSCAPE
Response rates are generally highest with BRAF/MEK-based strategies
Selected regimens discussed in the IMspire150 perspective. Cross-trial comparisons are descriptive and should be interpreted cautiously.
Vemurafenib / Cobimetinib
coBRIM
BRAF/MEK
70%
Dabrafenib / Trametinib
COMBI-d / COMBI-v
BRAF/MEK
68%
Vemurafenib / Cobimetinib / Atezolizumab
IMspire150
BRAF/MEK/PD-L1
66%
Vemurafenib / Cobimetinib
IMspire150 control arm
BRAF/MEK
65%
Encorafenib / Binimetinib
COLUMBUS
BRAF/MEK
64%
Ipilimumab / Nivolumab
CheckMate 067
CTLA-4 / PD-1
58%
Ipilimumab / Nivolumab
CheckMate 511
CTLA-4 / PD-1
46%
Nivolumab / Relatlimab
RELATIVITY-047
PD-1 / LAG-3
43%
Pembrolizumab
KEYNOTE-006
PD-1
42%
Nivolumab
CheckMate 067
PD-1
40%
Ipilimumab
CheckMate 067
CTLA-4
19%
Bar scale: 0–70% objective response rate. Selected studies shown for editorial comparison.
Figure 2. Selected best overall response rates (BORR) of therapies used in advanced melanoma. The study source is listed beneath each regimen. The visual grouping highlights the broad pattern discussed in the perspective: higher response rates with BRAF/MEK-directed strategies, while reminding readers that cross-trial comparisons remain approximate.
NoteFigure 3. BORR vs. PFS of therapies for advanced melanoma
RESPONSE RATE AND DURABILITY
Higher response rates do not by themselves settle the first-line question
Rather than a literal scatterplot, this editorial comparison shows selected frontline regimens with BORR and progression-free survival side by side. The pattern helps frame the IMspire150 discussion: multiple classes can produce meaningful activity, but the preferred initial strategy depends on more than response rate alone.
Regimen
Best overall response rate
Progression-free survival
Vemurafenib / Cobimetinib / Atezolizumab
IMspire150
66%
15.1 mo
Encorafenib / Binimetinib
COLUMBUS
64%
14.9 mo
Vemurafenib / Cobimetinib
coBRIM
70%
12.6 mo
Ipilimumab / Nivolumab
CheckMate 067
58%
11.5 mo
Nivolumab / Relatlimab
RELATIVITY-047
43%
10.1 mo
Pembrolizumab
KEYNOTE-006
42%
4.7 mo
BORR bars scaled to 0–80%. PFS bars scaled to 0–16 months.
Figure 3. Selected frontline regimens for advanced melanoma shown with best overall response rate and progression-free survival in parallel. This presentation preserves the original figure’s comparative intent while making the data more legible and consistent with the Journal’s current visual language.
NoteFigure 4. BORR vs. Overall Survival of therapies for advanced melanoma
RESPONSE RATE AND SURVIVAL
Overall survival is not simply a function of response rate
Selected regimens with reported objective response rate and median overall survival are shown side by side. The pattern is descriptive and is intended to contextualize the interim overall-survival analysis of IMspire150 rather than support formal cross-trial ranking.
Regimen
Best overall response rate
Median overall survival
NIVO1/IPI3
CheckMate-067
Immunotherapy
58%
72.1 mo
Vemurafenib / Cobimetinib / Atezolizumab
IMspire150
Targeted Therapy + Immunotherapy
67%
39.0 mo
Nivolumab
CheckMate-067
Immunotherapy
45%
36.9 mo
Nivolumab
RELATIVITY-047
Immunotherapy
33%
34.1 mo
Encorafenib / Binimetinib
COLUMBUS
Targeted Therapy
64%
33.6 mo
Pembrolizumab
KEYNOTE-006
Immunotherapy
42%
32.7 mo
Dabrafenib / Trametinib
KEYNOTE-022
Targeted Therapy
72%
26.3 mo
Dabrafenib / Trametinib
COMBI-d/COMBI-v
Targeted Therapy
68%
25.9 mo
Vemurafenib / Cobimetinib
IMspire150
Targeted Therapy
65%
25.8 mo
Dabrafenib / Trametinib
DREAMseq
Targeted Therapy
43%
25.0 mo
Vemurafenib / Cobimetinib
coBRIM
Targeted Therapy
70%
22.5 mo
Ipilimumab
CheckMate-067
Immunotherapy
19%
19.9 mo
Ipilimumab
KEYNOTE-006
Immunotherapy
17%
15.9 mo
Cross-trial comparisons are descriptive only. Populations, follow-up, and endpoint definitions differ across studies.
Figure 4. Selected regimens with reported objective response rate and median overall survival in advanced melanoma.
Unfortunately, therapeutic options in the second-line setting have yielded sub-optimal results (Kim et al. 2023), highlighting the need to optimize front-line therapy. Given the potential to improve the response rates associated with ICIs and the durability of oncogene-pathway directed therapy, efforts to combine immunotherapy with targeted therapy have been ongoing for over a decade. Mechanistic rationale for combining BRAFi/MEKi with immune checkpoint inhibitors includes priming of the tumor microenvironment for immunotherapy via upregulation of programmed death 1 ligand (PD-L1), increasing lymphocyte traffic and reduction of anti-inflammatory cytokines(Frederick et al. 2013; Wilmott et al. 2012; Schilling and Paschen 2013; Long et al. 2013; Boni et al. 2010; Kono et al. 2006; Sapkota et al. 2013; Vella et al. 2014; Cooper et al. 2013). Initial investigations combining ICI with TT, however, highlighted the potential risk of enhanced toxicity. One early study of combination ipilimumab and vemurafenib reported the development of hepatotoxicity in a significant portion of patients(Ribas et al. 2013). Subsequent studies demonstrated that BRAFi/MEKi could be safely administered with anti-PD-1(L1) monoclonal antibodies (Sullivan et al. 2019; Ferrucci et al. 2020; Dummer et al. 2022). IMspire150, a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, demonstrated improved median progression-free survival (PFS) of combination vemurafenib/cobimetinib/atezolizumab (vem/cobi/atezo) compared with vemurafenib/cobimetinib (vem/cobi) alone (15.1 vs 10.6 months HR: 0.78 (95% CI 0.63 - 0.97))(Gutzmer et al. 2020). Triplet therapy (BRAFi/MEKi/αPD-L1) was associated with more grade 3 or greater treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) (Figure 5). However, the risk-to-benefit trade off was deemed acceptable and these results led to the FDA approval of this triplet therapy on July 30, 2020.
NoteFigure 5. Treatment Related AEs vs. Overall Survival of therapies for advanced melanoma
SURVIVAL AND TOLERABILITY
Greater efficacy often comes with greater treatment burden
Median overall survival is shown alongside grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events. This framing emphasizes the clinical tradeoff underlying triplet therapy: modestly broader disease control may come at the price of added toxicity.
Regimen
Median overall survival
Grade ≥3 TRAEs
NIVO1/IPI3
CheckMate-067
Immunotherapy
72.1 mo
59%
Vemurafenib / Cobimetinib / Atezolizumab
IMspire150
Targeted Therapy + Immunotherapy
39.0 mo
75%
Nivolumab
CheckMate-067
Immunotherapy
36.9 mo
24%
Nivolumab
RELATIVITY-047
Immunotherapy
34.1 mo
11%
Pembrolizumab
KEYNOTE-006
Immunotherapy
32.7 mo
17%
Dabrafenib / Trametinib
KEYNOTE-022
Targeted Therapy
26.3 mo
25%
Vemurafenib / Cobimetinib
IMspire150
Targeted Therapy
25.8 mo
67%
Dabrafenib / Trametinib
DREAMseq
Targeted Therapy
25.0 mo
53%
Ipilimumab
CheckMate-067
Immunotherapy
19.9 mo
28%
Ipilimumab
KEYNOTE-006
Immunotherapy
15.9 mo
20%
Cross-trial comparisons are descriptive only. Toxicity definitions and attribution methods differ across studies.
Figure 5. Selected regimens with reported median overall survival and grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events in advanced melanoma.
Additional investigations have evaluated the safety and efficacy of triplet BRAFi/MEKi/αPD-1(L1) therapy. KEYNOTE-022, a phase 2 trial of dabrafenib/trametinib (dab/tram) plus pembrolizumab vs. dab/tram/placebo, demonstrated improved PFS, OS and duration of response (DOR) with triplet therapy (Ferrucci et al. 2020). Notably DOR was more than double with triplet therapy (25.1 vs. 12.1 months; HR = 0.32) compared with doublet TT. Similarly in COMBI-i, a phase III trial evaluating the anti-PD-1 mAb spartalizumab plus dab/tram, demonstrated improved PFS with triplet therapy compared to BRAFi/MEKi (16.2 vs. 12.0 months; HR=0.82 (95%CI 0.66 to 1.03)), although that endpoint was not statistically significant(Dummer et al. 2022). Taken collectively, triplet therapy with BRAFi/MEKi/αPD-1(L1) likely improves PFS compared to BRAFi/MEKi (Figure 6), but at the expense of enhanced toxicity (Figure 7). The effect on overall survival (OS) has less supporting data. The interim results of IMspire150 report on that important endpoint.
NoteFigure 6. BORR vs. PFS of various approaches to advanced melanoma treatment
FIRST-LINE ACTIVITY ACROSS STUDIES
Multiple frontline strategies can produce meaningful disease control
This broader comparison pairs objective response rate with median progression-free survival across the selected studies discussed in the perspective. It helps situate IMspire150 within the wider first-line melanoma landscape while preserving appropriate caution about cross-trial interpretation.
Regimen
Best overall response rate
Median progression-free survival
Dabrafenib / Trametinib / Pembrolizumab
KEYNOTE-022
Targeted Therapy + Immunotherapy
63%
16.9 mo
Dabrafenib / Trametinib / Spartalizumab
COMBI-i
Targeted Therapy + Immunotherapy
68%
16.2 mo
Vemurafenib / Cobimetinib / Atezolizumab
IMspire150
Targeted Therapy + Immunotherapy
67%
15.1 mo
Encorafenib / Binimetinib
COLUMBUS
Targeted Therapy
64%
14.9 mo
Vemurafenib / Cobimetinib
coBRIM
Targeted Therapy
70%
12.6 mo
Dabrafenib / Trametinib
COMBI-i
Targeted Therapy
64%
12.0 mo
NIVO1/IPI3
DREAMseq
Immunotherapy
46%
11.8 mo
NIVO1/IPI3
CheckMate-067
Immunotherapy
58%
11.5 mo
Dabrafenib / Trametinib
COMBI-d/COMBI-v
Targeted Therapy
68%
11.1 mo
Dabrafenib / Trametinib
KEYNOTE-022
Targeted Therapy
72%
10.7 mo
Vemurafenib / Cobimetinib
IMspire150
Targeted Therapy
65%
10.6 mo
Nivolumab / Relatlimab
RELATIVITY-047
Immunotherapy
43%
10.2 mo
Ipilimumab / Nivolumab
CheckMate-511
Immunotherapy
46%
9.9 mo
NIVO1/IPI3
CheckMate-511
Immunotherapy
51%
8.9 mo
Dabrafenib / Trametinib
DREAMseq
Targeted Therapy
43%
8.5 mo
Pembrolizumab
KEYNOTE-006
Immunotherapy
42%
8.4 mo
Nivolumab
CheckMate-067
Immunotherapy
45%
6.9 mo
Nivolumab
RELATIVITY-047
Immunotherapy
33%
4.0 mo
Ipilimumab
CheckMate-067
Immunotherapy
19%
2.9 mo
Ipilimumab
KEYNOTE-006
Immunotherapy
17%
2.8 mo
Cross-trial comparisons are descriptive only. Populations, follow-up, and endpoint definitions differ across studies.
Figure 6. Selected first-line regimens with reported objective response rate and median progression-free survival in advanced melanoma.
NoteFigure 7. Treatment Related AEs vs. median PFS of various approaches to advanced melanoma treatment
DURABILITY AND TOXICITY
Triplet therapy improves disease control at the cost of added toxicity
Median progression-free survival and grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events are shown together across selected frontline regimens. This tradeoff helps explain both the appeal of triplet therapy and the caution that has accompanied its uptake in practice.
Regimen
Median progression-free survival
Grade ≥3 TRAEs
Dabrafenib / Trametinib / Pembrolizumab
KEYNOTE-022
Targeted Therapy + Immunotherapy
16.9 mo
58%
Dabrafenib / Trametinib / Spartalizumab
COMBI-i
Targeted Therapy + Immunotherapy
16.2 mo
55%
Vemurafenib / Cobimetinib / Atezolizumab
IMspire150
Targeted Therapy + Immunotherapy
15.1 mo
75%
Dabrafenib / Trametinib
COMBI-i
Targeted Therapy
12.0 mo
33%
NIVO1/IPI3
DREAMseq
Immunotherapy
11.8 mo
60%
NIVO1/IPI3
CheckMate-067
Immunotherapy
11.5 mo
59%
Dabrafenib / Trametinib
KEYNOTE-022
Targeted Therapy
10.7 mo
25%
Vemurafenib / Cobimetinib
IMspire150
Targeted Therapy
10.6 mo
67%
Nivolumab / Relatlimab
RELATIVITY-047
Immunotherapy
10.2 mo
21%
Ipilimumab / Nivolumab
CheckMate-511
Immunotherapy
9.9 mo
34%
NIVO1/IPI3
CheckMate-511
Immunotherapy
8.9 mo
48%
Dabrafenib / Trametinib
DREAMseq
Targeted Therapy
8.5 mo
53%
Pembrolizumab
KEYNOTE-006
Immunotherapy
8.4 mo
17%
Nivolumab
CheckMate-067
Immunotherapy
6.9 mo
24%
Nivolumab
RELATIVITY-047
Immunotherapy
4.0 mo
11%
Ipilimumab
CheckMate-067
Immunotherapy
2.9 mo
28%
Ipilimumab
KEYNOTE-006
Immunotherapy
2.8 mo
20%
Cross-trial comparisons are descriptive only. Toxicity definitions and attribution methods differ across studies.
Figure 7. Selected first-line regimens with reported median progression-free survival and grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events in advanced melanoma.
Study Design
IMspire150 is a multi-center, phase III randomized study. 514 patients with advanced BRAF V600-mutant melanoma were randomized into treatment groups consisting of cobimetinib 60 mg once daily with vemurafenib 960 mg twice daily for 21 days followed by vemurafenib 720 mg twice daily(triplet therapy group) or 960 mg twice daily (doublet therapy group) for 7 days. The triplet therapy group then received atezolizumab from cycle 2 and beyond. The doublet therapy group instead received placebo from cycle 2 onwards. As previously published, the primary endpoint was investigator-assessed PFS, with OS as a prespecified interim analysis. OS is the focus of this most recent report. Hazard Ratios (HRs) for PFS and OS survival were estimated using a stratified Cox model.
Study Results
At the data cutoff of September 8th, 2021, 273 patients who entered the study had died. 126 deaths occurred in the triplet therapy group compared with 147 in the control group. Median overall survival was 39.0 months in the treatment group compared with 22.8 months in the control group. The Cox model HR for OS was 0.84 (95% CI 0.66 - 1.06, p = 0.14). Median PFS was 15.1 vs. 10.6, in favor of vem/cobi/atezo group. The most common cause of death was disease progression. No new safety signals were reported.
Interpreting IMspire150
Due to the rapid evolution in treatment for melanoma, clinicians have a variety of front-line options for advanced disease. A survey of the multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary group of CCO members present at the February 3rd Journal Club (Figures 8-10) underscores the diversity of current approaches used by melanoma oncologists.
NoteFigure 8. Journal club attendees
WHO WAS IN THE ROOM?
The discussion reflected a multidisciplinary melanoma audience
Ten attendees completed the role question. Medical oncologists formed the largest single group, but the room also included surgical, dermatologic, research, and trainee perspectives.
Medical Oncologist
n = 3 (30%)
Surgical Dermatologist
n = 2 (20%)
Surgical Oncologist
n = 2 (20%)
Medical Dermatologist
n = 1 (10%)
Non-clinician Researcher
n = 1 (10%)
Student / Trainee
n = 1 (10%)
n = 10 respondents.
Figure 8. Professional background of journal club respondents.
NoteFigure 9. Attendees melanoma patient care experience
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
Most respondents cared for melanoma regularly
Among those who answered, half reported seeing 11–20 patients with melanoma per month.
11–20 patients / month
n = 4 (50%)
1–10 patients / month
n = 2 (25%)
20–40 patients / month
n = 1 (12%)
>60 patients / month
n = 1 (12%)
n = 8 respondents.
Figure 9. Monthly melanoma patient volume among survey respondents.
NoteFigure 10. Attendees advanced melanoma patient care experience
ADVANCED MELANOMA PRACTICE
Most respondents saw 1–10 patients with advanced melanoma each month
This distribution helps frame the discussion as one grounded in real-world treatment selection rather than theoretical preference alone.
1–10 patients / month
n = 5 (62%)
11–20 patients / month
n = 2 (25%)
40–60 patients / month
n = 1 (12%)
n = 8 respondents.
Figure 10. Monthly advanced melanoma patient volume among survey respondents.
When presented with a case of oligometastatic BRAF V600E melanoma, dual immune checkpoint inhibition was the most commonly recommended approach, with a third of respondents stating they would choose an αCTLA4/αPD-1 regimen, and another third recommending an αLAG-3/αPD-1 regimen. Only one respondent favored single agent αPD-1(L1), with one other selecting a BRAFi/MEKi-based strategy (Figure 11).
NoteFigure 11. Management approach to oligometastatic melanoma
CASE-BASED POLL · SIX MONTHS AGO
Oligometastatic BRAF V600E melanoma
52-year-old man · ECOG 0 · three lung metastases · LDH 301 · treatment-naïve · not interested in a clinical trial
Which of the following would you have recommended 6 months ago?
Ipilimumab plus nivolumab
n = 2 (33%)
Relatlimab plus nivolumab
n = 2 (33%)
Pembrolizumab
n = 1 (17%)
Dabrafenib plus trametinib
n = 1 (17%)
Encorafenib plus binimetinib
n = 0 (0%)
Vemurafenib / cobimetinib / atezolizumab
n = 0 (0%)
n = 6 respondents.
Figure 11. Retrospective treatment preferences for the oligometastatic case before the IMspire150 discussion.
Not surprisingly, the majority of melanoma clinicians (71%, 5/7) selected an αCTLA4/αPD-1 based strategy for a patient with more significant tumor burden, including intracranial disease (Figure 12). CCO members cited the results from CheckMate-204 as rationale for front-line Ipi/Nivo for patients with brain metastases (Tawbi et al. (2018)). None of the attendees would have selected a regimen including both BRAFi/MEKi and immunotherapy six months ago (i.e. before the results of this paper) for either clinical scenario. Indeed, the overall experience with triplet therapy was limited, with only one practitioner having recommended BRAFi/MEKi/αPD-1 outside of a clinical trial previously (Figure 13).
NoteFigure 12. Management approach to high tumor burden metastatic melanoma
CASE-BASED POLL · SIX MONTHS AGO
High-tumor-burden BRAF V600E melanoma
48-year-old woman · ECOG 1 · liver, lung and brain metastases · LDH 850 · treatment-naïve · not interested in a clinical trial
Which of the following would you have recommended 6 months ago?
Ipilimumab plus nivolumab
n = 5 (71%)
Dabrafenib plus trametinib
n = 1 (14%)
Encorafenib plus binimetinib
n = 1 (14%)
Pembrolizumab
n = 0 (0%)
Relatlimab plus nivolumab
n = 0 (0%)
Vemurafenib / cobimetinib / atezolizumab
n = 0 (0%)
n = 7 respondents.
Figure 12. Retrospective treatment preferences for the high-tumor-burden case before the IMspire150 discussion.
NoteFigure 13. Experience with triplet therapy for melanoma
REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE
Most respondents had not used triplet therapy outside a clinical trial
This helps explain why the paper was interpreted more as a clarifying data point than as a practice-defining clinical update.
No
n = 7 (88%)
Yes
n = 1 (12%)
n = 8 respondents.
Figure 13. Prior use of triplet therapy outside a clinical trial among journal club respondents.
For many years there was little high-quality data guiding clinician’s initial treatment strategy selection for patients with advanced BRAF V600 mutant disease. Due to the potential of durable responses with immunotherapy, ICI was often chosen as the initial approach despite not having randomized, controlled data to support this decision. However, data from the recently published Phase III DREAMseq trial has helped fill this important information gap. Two-year OS rates were superior for BRAF V600 mutant patients treated initially with αCTLA4/αPD-1 compared with front-line BRAFi/MEKi (71.8% vs 51.5%, p = 0.01) (Atkins et al. 2023). Median duration of response (mDOR) was also significantly greater with upfront ICI compared with initial TT (mDOR not reached for the initial Ipi/Nivo group vs. 12.7 months for the initial BRAFi/MEKi group, p <0.001). These data reinforce the importance of sequencing therapy appropriately in patients with advanced disease.
Does triplet therapy answer the first-line question that matters most?
The totality of the evidence from IMspire150, Keynote-022 and COMBI-i suggests that the addition of αPD-1(L1) therapy to a BRAFi/MEKi backbone yields improvement in PFS (and possibly OS) at a cost of added toxicity. The major limitation of these studies is that in the current treatment environment - largely solidified by the DREAMseq trial - the control groups (BRAFi/MEKi) are no longer a preferred initial regimen for the majority of patients with advanced, untreated BRAF V600 melanoma. Thus, despite a signal in all three studies that adding αPD-1(L1) to BRAFi/MEKi improves patient outcomes, the role of triplet therapy in the first-line setting remains uncertain. A more relevant and clarifying comparator of front-line triplet therapy would be either monotherapy αPD-1(L1) or dual ICB, given that ICI is being used in the initial management plan for most patients. The operative question being whether adding targeted therapy to an immunotherapy-based regimen produces improved outcomes compared to a front-line immunotherapy-only strategy. As a consequence of this important caveat, the borderline insignificant interim results of IMspire150 had little effect on the medical decision making of the CCO JC attendees (Figure 14). Given that the study was not answering a question critically important to practitioners in 2023, the impact of the paper would have likely been the same had the hazard ratio for OS excluded the null hypothesis. To further support the lack of clarity on the role of triplet therapy after these interim results, respondents replied with similar treatment approaches to patients with oligo- (Figure 15) and more widespread (Figure 16) disease in the current day, as compared with six months ago (Figures 11-12). Again, none of the practitioners selected triplet therapy for these clinical scenarios after discussing the recent update of IMspire150.
NoteFigure 14. Practice changing nature of the study
PRACTICE IMPACT
The paper did not change reported practice patterns
This result aligns with the article’s central interpretation: the trial may be informative, but it does not answer the first-line question most relevant to current melanoma care.
No
n = 8 (100%)
Yes
n = 0 (0%)
n = 8 respondents.
Figure 14. Post-discussion assessment of whether IMspire150 would change current practice.
NoteFigure 15. The case of oligometastatic melanoma revisited
CASE-BASED POLL · AFTER DISCUSSION
Oligometastatic BRAF V600E melanoma
52-year-old man · ECOG 0 · three lung metastases · LDH 301 · treatment-naïve · not interested in a clinical trial
How would you treat this patient now?
Relatlimab plus nivolumab
n = 5 (62%)
Ipilimumab plus nivolumab
n = 2 (25%)
Pembrolizumab
n = 1 (12%)
Dabrafenib plus trametinib
n = 0 (0%)
Encorafenib plus binimetinib
n = 0 (0%)
Vemurafenib / cobimetinib / atezolizumab
n = 0 (0%)
n = 8 respondents.
Figure 15. Current treatment preferences for the oligometastatic case after discussing IMspire150.
NoteFigure 16. The case of high-tumor burden melanoma revisited
CASE-BASED POLL · AFTER DISCUSSION
High-tumor-burden BRAF V600E melanoma
48-year-old woman · ECOG 1 · liver, lung and brain metastases · LDH 850 · treatment-naïve · not interested in a clinical trial
How would you treat this patient now?
Ipilimumab plus nivolumab
n = 7 (88%)
Dabrafenib plus trametinib
n = 1 (12%)
Encorafenib plus binimetinib
n = 0 (0%)
Pembrolizumab
n = 0 (0%)
Relatlimab plus nivolumab
n = 0 (0%)
Vemurafenib / cobimetinib / atezolizumab
n = 0 (0%)
n = 8 respondents.
Figure 16. Current treatment preferences for the high-tumor-burden case after discussing IMspire150.
Where, if anywhere, might triplet therapy still fit?
Although the clinical vignette of high-tumor burden disease did not elicit a selection of triplet therapy by any of the melanoma clinicians, the question of whether triplet therapy or even quadruple therapy (i.e. BRAFi/MEKi/αPD-1/αCTLA4) would be used in the case of impending visceral crisis was raised. Indeed, the one clinician with previous real-world experience with triplet therapy utilized concomitant BRAFi/MEKi/αPD-1 therapy in a patient with fulminant disease including widespread liver metastases and diffuse melanosis cutis. Fortunately that patient went on to have a complete response and is alive today. Patients that present with symptomatic brain metastases represent another cohort that may benefit from combination TT/ICI. While combination CTLA4/αPD-1 has shown impressive activity in patients with asymptomatic intracranial metastases, the efficacy of ipi/nivo is significantly attenuated in patients receiving corticosteroids for symptomatic disease(Tawbi et al. 2021). Therefore, there is rationale to treat with a lead-in of targeted therapy to decrease intracranial disease burden in order to expedite steroid tapering prior to the administration of immunotherapy. Thus, the discussion reinforced the importance of having options in the treatment armamentarium which can be applied on a case-by-case basis.
Materials and Methods
This Perspectives on the Science piece was published using Quarto®. The survey was conducted using REDCap®(Harris et al. 2009). The figures depicting the survey data were created using R (version 4.0.0) and the tidyverse suite of packages (Wickham et al. 2019), including ggplot2 (Wickham 2016). The figure depicting FDA approved therapies in melanoma was created using the skincancerRx package (Miller and Shalhout 2022).
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Appendix
NoteArticle Information
Article Details
Article type:Perspectives on the Science Published: February 4, 2023 Journal Club date: February 3, 2023 Volume/issue: 1(1) DOI:10.59449/joco.2023.02.04
Citation
For attribution, please cite this work as:
Miller DM, Emerick KS, Patel VA, Cohen S, Brownell I, Lawrence DP. Lacking Overall IMspiration for Triplet Therapy in Melanoma? A Review of the Interim Analysis of IMspire150. Journal of Cutaneous Oncology. 2023;1(1). https://doi.org/10.59449/joco.2023.02.04Copied!
BibTeX citation:
@article{Miller2023IMspire150,author = {Miller, David Michael and Emerick, Kevin Scott and Patel, Vishal Anil and Cohen, Sonia and Brownell, Isaac and Lawrence, Donald P.},title = {Lacking Overall IMspiration for Triplet Therapy in Melanoma? A Review of the Interim Analysis of IMspire150},journal = {Journal of Cutaneous Oncology},year = {2023},volume = {1},number = {1},doi = {10.59449/joco.2023.02.04},issn = {2837-1933},publisher = {Society of Cutaneous Oncology},langid = {en}}
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DMM reports grants and personal fees from Regeneron, grants from Kartos Therapeutics, grants from NeoImmuneTech, personal fees from Checkpoint Therapeutics, personal fees from Pfizer, personal fees from Merck Sharpe & Dome, personal fees from EMD Serono, grants from Project DataSphere, personal fees from Sanofi Genzyme, personal fees from Castle Biosciences, personal fees from Avstera, outside the submitted work. EYK and SZS report no competing interests. HLK is an employee of Ankyra Therapeutics and serves on advisory boards for Marengo Therapeutics, Castle Bioscience, Virogin and MidaTech Pharma. VAP reports consulting honorarium from Regeneron, PhD Biosciences, Jounce Therapeutics, Almirall, and Castle Biosciences, and stock options from Avstera and Lazarus AI.
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