Stopping targeted therapy for complete responders in advanced BRAF mutant melanoma

• Published in: Scientific reports 2020-11, Vol.10 (1), p.18878-18878, Article 18878
• Main Authors: Warburton, L., Meniawy, T. M., Calapre, L., Pereira, M., McEvoy, A., Ziman, M., Gray, E. S., Millward, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/4028; 692/4028/67/1059; 692/4028/67/1059/602; Adult; Aged; Carbamates - administration & dosage; Circulating Tumor DNA - blood; Circulating Tumor DNA - drug effects; Disease control; Disease Progression; Female; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Imidazoles - administration & dosage; Male; MEK inhibitors; Melanoma; Melanoma - blood; Melanoma - drug therapy; Melanoma - genetics; Melanoma - pathology; Middle Aged; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases - antagonists & inhibitors; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases - genetics; multidisciplinary; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - blood; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - drug therapy; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - genetics; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - pathology; Oximes - administration & dosage; Protein Kinase Inhibitors - administration & dosage; Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf - antagonists & inhibitors; Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf - genetics; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sulfonamides - administration & dosage; Vemurafenib - administration & dosage
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75837-5

BRAF inhibitors revolutionised the management of melanoma patients and although resistance occurs, there is a subgroup of patients who maintain durable disease control. For those cases with durable complete response (CR) it is not clear whether it is safe to cease therapy. Here we identified 13 patients treated with BRAF +/− MEK inhibitors, who cease therapy after prolonged CR (median = 34 months, range 20–74). Recurrence was observed in 3/13 (23%) patients. In the remaining 10 patients with sustained CR off therapy, the median follow up after discontinuation was 19 months (range 8–36). We retrospectively measured ctDNA levels using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) in longitudinal plasma samples. CtDNA levels were undetectable in 11/13 cases after cessation and remained undetectable in patients in CR (10/13). CtDNA eventually became detectable in 2/3 cases with disease recurrence, but remained undetectable in 1 patient with brain only progression. Our study suggests that consideration could be given to ceasing targeted therapy in the context of prolonged treatment, durable response and no evidence of residual disease as measured by ctDNA.