ASCO 2018: Cemiplimab Active in Metastatic Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Posted: Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Based on a phase II study presented at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting (Abstract 9519), the monoclonal antibody cemiplimab showed activity in patients with metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. With no current standard of care for patients with metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, continued research into cemiplimab may address an unmet clinical need in this patient population. Nearly 50% of patients had a response to cemiplimab, irrespective of prior systemic therapy.
“These results mark a potential paradigm shift in the treatment of patients with advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, who to date have had very limited results with chemotherapy and targeted therapies,” said lead author Michael Migden, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, in a press release.
In total, 59 patients were enrolled (54 male, 5 female). An Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status was 0 and 1 in 23 and 36 patients, respectively. More than half of patients had received prior systemic therapy, and the majority (84.7%) had received prior radiotherapy. Patients received 3 mg/kg of cemiplimab every 2 weeks.
At a median follow-up of 7.9 months, 28 patients (47.5%) had an objective response to cemiplimab, defined as at least 30% tumor shrinkage observed via imaging. A total of 4 patients had complete responses, and 24 had partial responses. In addition, 82% of responders remain on the study drug.
According to Dr. Migden, response rates to chemotherapy regimens or targeted therapy against EGFR now used in advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma range from 15% to 25%. And, a number of these therapies are associated with serious side effects.
These study findings were also published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
