ASCO20: Longer-Term Follow-Up Supports Cemiplimab in Advanced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Posted: Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Compared with conventional chemotherapy or EGFR inhibitors, the use of cemiplimab in patients with advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma seems to improve outcomes, according to updated results from an ongoing phase II, open-label study of the PD-1 monoclonal antibody. Danny Rischin, MD, MBBS, FRACP, of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues presented their findings at the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program (Abstract 10018).
The current analysis included data from 193 patients with advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Of them, 59 patients had advanced metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and 78 patients had locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Both groups received 3 mg/kg of cemiplimab once every 2 weeks. A third group comprised 56 patients with metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, who received a standard dose of 350 mg of cemiplimab once every 3 weeks. A total of 128 patients were treatment-naive, and 65 patients were previously treated.
After a median follow up of 15.7 months, the overall response rate among all patients was 54.4%. Among treatment-naive and previously treated patients, the overall response rates were 57.8% and 47.7%, respectively. Although the duration of response and overall survival had not yet been reached at the time of this analysis, the investigators estimated the duration of response and overall survival at 24 months to be 76.0% and 73.3%, respectively, in the patients who responded to therapy.
The most common treatment-related adverse events noted with cemiplimab were fatigue (34.7%), diarrhea (27.5%), and nausea (23.8%). The most common ≥ 3 treatment–related adverse events were hypertension (4.7%), anemia (4.1%), and cellulitis (4.1%).
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit coi.asco.org.
