Despite significant progress in melanoma survival, therapeutic options are still needed in case of progression under immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), and resistance to targeted therapies (TT) in BRAF-mutated melanomas. This study aimed to assess the safety of combined ICI and TT as a rescue line in real-life clinical practice. We conducted a study within the prospective French multicentric MelBase cohort, including patients treated with a combination of anti-PD1 (pembrolizumab/nivolumab) and BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi: dabrafenib/vemurafenib) and/or MEK inhibitors (MEKi: trametinib/cobimetinib) for BRAF mutated or wild-type advanced melanoma. Fifty-nine patients were included: 30% received the triple combination, 34% an anti-PD1 and BRAFi, and 36% an anti-PD1 and MEKi. Grade 3–4 adverse events occurred in 12% of patients. Permanent discontinuation or dose reduction of one of the treatments for toxicity was reported in 14% and 7% of patients, respectively. In the BRAF wild-type subgroup, treatment with MEKi and anti-PD1 induced a tumor control rate of 83% and median progression-free survival of 7.1 months. The combination of anti-PD1 and BRAFi and/or MEKi was a safe rescue line for advanced melanoma patients previously treated with ICI/TT. The benefit of these combinations, specifically anti-PD1 and MEKi in BRAF wild-type melanoma patients, needs to be prospectively studied.
Vascular injuries are a rare complication of total hip arthroplasty (THA). We describe the case of 71-year-old man who underwent an elective left THA and developed a pseudoaneurysm from an avulsion injury to the first branch of the profunda femoris artery. The patient underwent urgent open primary repair of the pseudoaneurysm and recovered without any complications. This case demonstrates the importance of assessing for vascular injuries after THA and of educating patients about the associated signs and symptoms.
Combined BRAF and MEK inhibition is one of the first-line treatment strategies for patients with advanced BRAF-mutant melanoma. Sarcoid-like reactions (SLRs) have occasionally been described with melanoma systemic treatments such as immunotherapy or the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib, but very few cases have been reported with dabrafenib and trametinib. Our aim was to better characterize SLR induced by this combination. We conducted a monocentric retrospective observational study among patients treated with dabrafenib and trametinib for BRAF-mutant advanced melanoma from January 2015 to March 2019. Patients presenting with histologically proven SLR were included. We also searched Medline database for all reported cases of SLR induced by targeted therapy. Of 63 patients on dabrafenib/trametinib combination, seven were diagnosed with a SLR. They all had specific cutaneous involvement, and one also displayed mediastinal and salivary glands involvement. None required systemic corticosteroids or dabrafenib/trametinib discontinuation. Three of them (43%) reached melanoma complete remission and are still on targeted therapy; and four patients progressed and died. A literature review yielded 22 additional cases of SLR induced by targeted therapy: the main affected organ was the skin, 11 patients (50%) had systemic involvement, five patients (23%) required systemic corticosteroids to reach partial or complete remission of SLR, 12 (55%) reached partial or complete response of melanoma while six (27%) progressed. BRAF and MEK inhibitors are potential triggers of SLR, although pathological mechanisms remain unclear. The mainstay of treatment is systemic or topical corticotherapy; targeted therapy discontinuation is usually not necessary.
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