A Multicenter, Single Arm, Phase 2 Clinical Study on the Combination of Radiation Therapy and Ipilimumab, for the Treatment of Patients With Melanoma and Brain Metastases

Detailed Summary

Ipilimumab adds a clinical benefit to radiation therapy in patients with melanoma metastatic to the brain. Melanoma is the third most common cancer causing brain metastases, after cancers of the lung and breast, which appears to reflect the relative propensity of melanoma to metastasize to the central nervous system (CNS). Brain metastases are responsible for 20 to 54 percent of deaths in patients with melanoma, and among those with documented brain metastases, these lesions contribute to death in up to 95 percent of cases, with an estimated median overall survival ranging between 1.8 and 10.5 months, depending upon other prognostic factors. Ipilimumab is an anti-Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Antigen 4 (anti-CTLA4) monoclonal antibody that has demonstrated a clinically relevant and statistically significant improvement in overall survival, either alone (second line) or in combination with dacarbazine (DTIC) in 1st line. Ipilimumab has shown activity against brain metastases. According to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved label for Yervoy®, the use of glucocorticoids at baseline (commonly prescribed when brain metastases are diagnosed) should be avoided before the administration of ipilimumab. Data show that the use of even high doses of glucocorticoids for the management of immune-related adverse events do not decrease the efficacy of Yervoy®. There is no documented experience on the efficacy of Yervoy® when given concomitantly with radiation therapy and glucocorticoids. In experimental models, radiation therapy is synergistic to anti-Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Antigen 4 (anti-CTLA4) strategies (abscopal effect). There are no published results from clinical trials on the interaction between radiation therapy and ipilimumab.

Study Details

Timeline

Interventions