Study Characterizes Skin Toxicity With Uveal Melanoma Rx
Source: Medscape, September 2024
TOPLINE:
Nearly 80% of patients with metastatic uveal melanoma experienced skin toxicities with tebentafusp, a targeted immunotherapy, according to a study that also suggests that the presence of skin reactions is associated with improved survival.
METHODOLOGY:
- This prospective cohort study evaluated 33 patients with metastatic uveal melanoma who were treated with tebentafusp (Kimmtrak) at the University Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany, from January 2019 to June 2023.
- Patients were hospitalized for the first three doses and observed for at least 16 hours, with a 7-day interval between doses.
Researchers noted skin toxicities and performed skin biopsies. - The median follow-up was longer in patients with skin toxicity (21.5 months) than in those without any skin symptoms (3 months).
TAKEAWAY:
- Skin toxicity was observed in 78.8% of the patients treated with tebentafusp; researchers noted 68 skin eruptions after 105 doses, most commonly on the face and torso.
- Skin eruptions were classified into four categories: Symmetrical erythematous patches on the face, neck, trunk, and/or arms (83.8%); hemorrhagic macules on the distal portion of the upper or lower extremities (11.8%); urticarial lesions (7.4%); and bullous lesions (1.5%). Depigmentation of skin (8.5%) and hair (11.4%) was also reported.
- Skin biopsies revealed mild lymphocytic infiltration with focal dermatitis and, in more severe cases, subepidermal detachment and mixed immune cell infiltrates.
- All seven patients without skin symptoms died during follow-up compared with eight (31%) of those with skin toxicity. The group with skin toxicity had a significantly longer median overall survival than the group without skin symptoms (34 vs 4 months; P = .001).