Background: MEK inhibitors (MEKi) have shown clinical efficacy for NRAS-mutated, metastasized melanoma in randomised controlled trials, yet their clinical use is currently restricted to advanced, pre-treated patients, which is a different situation compared to previous trials. Data on their efficacy in the current real-world use are scarce.
Methods: In this retrospective, multi-centre study, we evaluated the clinical course of disease of patients treated with MEKi with at least one previous treatment line in five German cancer centres.
Results: Thirty-three patients were included, 19 males (58%) and 14 females (42%), with a median age of 64 years. Ninety-one percent of patients were pre-treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, 90% of patients had elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels at treatment initiation, 33% suffered from cerebral metastases and 30% had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 2 or higher. The response rate was 18.2%; the disease control rate was 48.5%. Median progression-free survival was 2.8 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.6-3.9 months), and median overall survival was 7.1 months (95% CI: 5.8-8.3 months). In subgroup analysis, clinical efficacy was similar also in patients with high LDH levels and cerebral metastases, and there was a better outcome in males and in patients treated with trametinib vs. other MEKi, which may be based on selection bias. Overall, the clinical efficacy was similar compared to previous clinical trials in earlier treatment lines.
Conclusions: MEKi fulfil the need for an in-between treatment to stabilise the course of disease in advanced NRAS-mutated melanoma, but expectations regarding ongoing tumour response should be tempered.
Keywords: MEK inhibitor; Melanoma; NRAS; Targeted therapy.
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