Treatment patterns and outcomes following disease progression on anti-PD-1 therapies for advanced melanoma

Abstract

Background: Anti-PD-1-based therapies prolong survival in advanced melanoma, but disease progression is common. This study evaluated treatment patterns and overall survival (OS) after anti-PD-1 progression. Methods: Retrospective data from patients with advanced melanoma and progression on anti-PD-1 treatment between 2014 and 2019 were taken from Flatiron Health, which reflects largely community practice. Treatment patterns and OS were analyzed for BRAF mutant (mt) and wild-type (wt) subgroups; OS was also examined across all patients. Results: Progression following anti-PD-1 was recorded for 679 patients. Median OS ranged from 5.0 to 11.3 months. Of 275 BRAFmt and 374 BRAFwt patients, 113 (41.1%) and 228 (61.0%) received no subsequent therapy, respectively. However, 48.4% of BRAFmt and 57.8% of BRAFwt patients continued anti-PD-1 treatment beyond progression. Conclusion: This real-world study underscores the need for effective treatments for advanced melanoma post-progression on anti-PD-1 therapy.

Keywords: cancer progression; immunotherapy; melanoma; survival; treatment patterns.