This is a mono-center open-label proof-of-concept pharmacologic study to explore the efficacy and safety of vorinostat in advanced BRAF mutated melanoma, which became resistant for BRAF-inhibitors or the combination of BRAF- and MEK-inhibitors.
Activating mutations in the BRAF gene are present in about 50% of human melanomas. BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) inhibit the serine-threonine protein kinase BRAF, which plays a dominant role in the MAPK pathway influencing cell growth. MEK inhibitors (MEKi) inhibit MEK1 and MEK2, two regulatory proteins downstream of BRAF. The clinical benefit of this treatment is limited due to development of drug resistance in 6-8 months for treatment with BRAFi and 9-14 months for treatment with BRAFi in combination with MEKi.This is often associated with secondary mutations in the MAPK pathway leading to re-activation of the pathway.Withholding from treatment with BRAFi and/or MEKi leads to a reversible hyperactivation of the MAPK pathway, causing a transient growth arrest. Chronic proliferation and growth arrest occur when there is a persistent hyperactivation of the MAPK pathway. Treatment of BRAFi and/or MEKi resistant melanoma with vorinostat, a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), leads to persistent hyperactivation of the pathway and a state of growth arrest with hallmarks of oncogene induced senescence.In these studies in mice with BRAFi resistant BRAF V600 mutated melanoma switch from a BRAFi to the HDACi vorinostat resulted in complete disappearance of the tumor after two months of treatment. HDACi cause accumulation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) leading to apoptosis and upregulation of the MAPK-pathway. As seen by Wang et al hyperactivation of the MAPK-pathway is an important milestone in the anti-tumor treatment of BRAF V600 melanoma. This is a phase I, single-center, single-arm, non-randomized, open-label, clinical pharmacological proof of principal study to determine the safety of vorinostat as anti-tumor therapy in patients with advanced resistant BRAF V600 mutated melanoma. A total of 21 evaluable patients with BRAF V600 mutated melanoma who developed resistance to BRAFi and/or BRAFi+MEKi after at least 4 weeks of PR or CR response will be enrolled in this study. Vorinostat will be given at a single daily dose of 360 mg derived from the established and registered dose for treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Treatment will be continuous in cycles of 28 days and doses will be reduced in steps of 90 mg per dose-reduction in case of unacceptable safety concerns.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
33
vorinostat 360 milligram once daily
Netherlands Cancer Institute - Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Anti-tumor response rate in at least 30% of the treated patients.
Overall response rate measured by RECIST v 1.1.
Time frame: CT scan every 6 weeks up to 24 months and monthly phone call until start of subsequent anticancer therapy or until all patients have been followed up for at least 24 months or have been lost to follow up, whichever occurs first.
Tolerability (incidence and severity of adverse events per CTCAE v4.03)
Incidence and severity of adverse events per CTCAE v4.03
Time frame: Up to 28 days after last drug intake
progression free survival (PFS) per RECIST v1.1
PFS measured by RECIST v 1.1.
Time frame: CT scan every 6 weeks up to 24 months and monthly phone call until start of subsequent anticancer therapy or until all patients have been followed up for at least 24 months or have been lost to follow up, whichever occurs first
Overall survival (ORR) per RECIST v1.1
ORR measured by RECIST v 1.1.
Time frame: CT scan every 6 weeks up to 24 months and monthly phone call until start of subsequent anticancer therapy or until all patients have been followed up for at least 24 months or have been lost to follow up, whichever occurs first
Plasma concentrations of vorinostat
Plasma concentrations of vorinostat will be measured at day 1 and 15 in cycle 1 to determine pharmacokinetics and interindividual differences after a single dose and after multiple doses.
Time frame: On day 1 and 15 in cycle 1(each cycle is 28 days).
Determinants and mode of response -Target proteins
Change in expression and/or phosphorylation status target proteins (e.g. pMEK, pERK, acetylated Histone 3) before, during and after treatment
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Time frame: At baseline, cycle 1(each cycle is 28 days) day 1, day 15 and at treatment discontinuation (expected 6-9 months after start)
Pharmacogenetics profiling to assess predictors of response and resistance- inducing mutations
Pharmacogenetic profiling to assess predictors of response and resistance-inducing mutations.
Time frame: before treatment, every 6 weeks up to 24 months and at treatment discontinuation (expected 6-9 months after start)