Patients with unresectable or metastatic BRAF-mutant melanoma high-risk patients will be given 450 mg orally (PO) daily (QD) plus binimetinib 45 mg PO twice daily (BID) together with nivolumab administered intravenously (IV) at 3mg/kg and ipilimumab administered IV at 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks for 4 doses, followed by nivolumab administered IV at 480mg every 4 weeks until progression or discontinuation due to toxicity. Concurrently, a triple therapy arm will be explored with encorafenib 300 mg PO QD together with ipilimumab administered IV at 1mg/kg and nivolumab 3mg/kg IV every 3 weeks for 4 doses, followed by nivolumab administered at 480mg every 4 weeks until progression or discontinuation due to toxicity. Tolerability of the two arms will be compared, and a recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) will be determined. After determination of treatment schedule, expansion cohorts will further explore the preliminary efficacy and further describe the toxicity profile of the triplet or quadruplet regimen in high-risk cohorts including symptomatic brain metastases or liver metastases with elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) or bulky systemic disease burden.
Study participants will consist of metastatic melanoma patients harboring BRAFV600E/K mutation without previous frontline therapy or recently started treatment with up to 6 weeks of targeted therapy (or \> 6 months from adjuvant therapy). Toxicity from prior treatment must have resolved to ≤ Grade 1 and not included previous Grade 3-4 immune-related adverse events (irAEs) that required treatment discontinuation or previous Grade 2 immune-related uveitis or pneumonitis. Phase I, Cohort 1: Twelve patients will be treated with 300mg encorafenib and 3mg/kg nivolumab and 1 mg/kg ipilimumab. The dose limiting toxicity (DLT) for cohort 1 will be evaluated between weeks 1-6. Phase I, Cohort 2: Upfront quadruple therapy with 450mg encorafenib, 45mg binimetinib, 3mg/kg nivolumab and 1mg/kg ipilimumab will be investigated with 12 participants. DLT window for phase I, cohort 2 will be evaluated at weeks 1-6. Upon establishment of RP2R schedule, only participants with advanced melanoma who are treatment naïve in metastatic setting or have had up to 6 weeks of targeted therapy or who have progressed on adjuvant therapy for more than 6 months following completion of adjuvant therapy (either BRAF-MEK or PD1 Ab) will be eligible for participation in high risk disease cohort expansion (Groups 1 or 2). Phase II will employ the RP2D schedule from Phase I and investigate the early efficacy in participants with high risk features who are less likely to derive benefit from standard treatment approaches and who may benefit from quadruple therapy despite the potential for increased toxicity. These will include: Group 1) symptomatic brain metastases \[up to 30 patients\] and Group 2) Elevated LDH \>1x upper limit of normal (ULN) with: a) liver metastases OR b) bulky visceral disease (sum of longest diameter (SLD) \> 44mm) \[combined with Group 1 up to 60 total patients\]. Following initiation of triple or quadruple therapy, participants will be followed for safety and response. Safety assessments will be a high priority with on-going Bayesian toxicity monitoring and efficacy assessments every 12 weeks. Based on prior targeted, immune, and triplet therapy studies, we anticipate up to 30-50% DLT and will consider temporary suspension of trial enrollment with a DLT \> 75% as determined by CTCAEv5. Treatment efficacy will be documented using RECIST 1.1 and RANO-BM criteria, recorded every 4-12 weeks, and immune-RECIST (iRECIST) and immune-RANO (iRANO) criteria.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
2
A small molecule BRAF inhibitor that targets key enzymes in the MAPK signaling pathway.
A programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) blocking monoclonal antibody that works by helping the immune system to slow or stop the growth of cancer cells.
A monoclonal antibody medication that works to activate the immune system by targeting CTLA-4, a protein receptor that downregulates the immune system.
A small molecule, selective inhibitor of MEK, a central kinase in the tumor-promoting MAPK pathway that may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth.
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Recommended Phase II Dose (RP2D) of Encorafenib + Nivolumab + Ipilimumab
Determination of recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of triple therapy in patients treated with 300mg encorafenib, 3mg/kg nivolumab and 1mg/kg ipilimumab via the frequency of DLTs that are classified as either possibly, probably, or definitely related to study treatment according to NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE v5.0). Number of distinct patients experiencing Adverse events and DLTs. This will be done with continuous Bayesian toxicity monitoring.
Time frame: Up to 6 weeks (DLT evaluation period)
Recommended Phase II Dose (RP2D) of Encorafenib + Binimetinib + Nivolumab + Ipilimumab
Determination of recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of quadruple therapy in patients treated with 450mg encorafenib, 45mg binimetinib, 3mg/kg nivolumab and 1mg/kg ipilimumab via the frequency of DLTs that are classified as either possibly, probably, or definitely related to study treatment according to NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE v5.0). Number of distinct patients experiencing Adverse events and DLTs. This will be done with continuous Bayesian toxicity monitoring.
Time frame: Up to 6 weeks (DLT evaluation period)
Response Rate Per RECIST v1.1 Criteria
Number of patients with Complete response \[CR\] + partial response \[PR\], per RECIST v1.1 criteria . Per RECIST v1.1, CR: Disappearance of all target lesions. Any pathological lymph nodes (whether target or non-target) must have reduction in short axis to \<10 mm. For non-target lesions: Disappearance of all non-target lesions and normalization of tumor marker level. All lymph nodes must be non-pathological in size (\<10mm short axis); PR: At least a 30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum diameters.
Time frame: Up to 15 months
Central Nervous System (CNS) Clinical Benefit Rate (CBR)
Number of patients with Complete response \[CR\] + partial response \[PR\] + stable disease \[SD\] \>6 months) per RANO-BM criteria. Per RANO, CR: No lesion present; PR: ≥30% decrease in sum LD relative to baseline; SD: \<30% decrease relative to baseline, but \<20% increase in sum LD relative to nadir.
Time frame: Up to 15 months
Adverse Events at Least Probably Related to Treatment
Number of (distinct) participants with ≤ Grade 3 Adverse Events or Serious Adverse Events that are possibly, probably or definitely related to study treatment per the Criteria for Adverse Events version 5 (CTCAEv5).
Time frame: Up to 6 months (per patient)
Progression-free Survival (PFS)
The length of time during and after study treatment that each patient lived with cancer but it does not get worse. PFS is one way to assess how the treatment works. Per RECIST v1.1, progressive disease is defined as at least a 20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest sum on study (this includes the baseline sum if that is the smallest on study). In addition to the relative increase of 20%, the sum must also demonstrate an absolute increase of at least 5 mm. For non-target lesions, PD: Unequivocal progression of existing non-target lesions. The appearance of one or more new lesions is also considered progression.
Time frame: Up to 15 months
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