Journal Article

DKFZ-2025-01621

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Sex-specific survival in advanced metastatic melanoma - a DeCOG study on 2032 patients of the multicenter prospective skin cancer registry ADOREG.

Leven, A.-S. ; Peters, T. ; Rajcsanyi, L. S. ; Weichenthal, M. ; Mohr, P. ; Meier, F. ; von Wasielewski, I. ; Gutzmer, R. ; Utikal, J. ; Terheyden, P. ; Herbst, R. ; Haferkamp, S. ; Pföhler, C. ; Leiter, U. ; Forschner, A. ; Kreuter, A. ; Gebhardt, C. ; Lutze, S. ; Weishaupt, C. ; Grabbe, S. ; Debus, D. ; Hassel, J. ; Welzel, J. ; Heinzerling, L. ; Berking, C. ; Loquai, C. ; Gambichler, T. ; Ziemer, M. ; Becker, J.DKFZ* ; Tasdogan, A.DKFZ* ; Zimmer, L.DKFZ* ; Livingstone, E.DKFZ* ; Schadendorf, D.DKFZ* ; Roesch, A.DKFZ* ; Hinney, A. ; Ugurel, S.

2025
Elsevier Amsterdam [u.a.]

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Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2025.115668

Abstract: Females and males differ in their innate and acquired immune responses. Thus, it is hypothesized that the efficacy of anti-tumor immunotherapies may differ by sex. This study aimed to investigate sex-specific survival differences upon different therapy types in metastatic melanoma.Patients with unresectable metastatic melanoma (stage IV, AJCCv8) of the skin or unknown primary, who had received first-line PD-1-based immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) or BRAF/MEK-directed targeted therapy (TT) were identified from the prospective multicenter DeCOG skin cancer registry ADOREG. Study endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).A total of 2032 patients, 1274 males (62.7 %) and 758 females (37.3 %), received ICI (n = 1484) or TT (n = 548) between May 2010 and December 2020. At median follow-up of 28.6 months, no significant sex-specific differences in survival could be detected, neither in the total cohort nor by treatment type: PFS (total, p = 0.86; ICI, p = 0.46; TT, p = 0.21), OS (total, p = 0.60; ICI, p = 0.20; TT, p = 0.30). Multivariable Cox regression analyses also did not show a relevant prognostic influence by sex. Subgroup analyses were performed according to ICI therapy type. In n = 872 patients treated with PD-1 monotherapy, a survival advantage (PFS, p = 0.041; OS, p = 0.07) could be detected for males by univariable and multivariable analyses, whereas no sex-specific survival differences were found for n = 456 patients who received combination immunotherapy.No overall sex-specific survival differences were detected for metastatic melanoma patients in the first-line therapy setting. According to subgroup analyses males show a trend towards a survival advantage over females.

Keyword(s): Immune checkpoint inhibition therapy ; Melanoma ; Sex ; Survival ; Targeted therapy

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. DKTK Koordinierungsstelle Essen/Düsseldorf (ED01)

Research Program(s):

1. 899 - ohne Topic (POF4-899) (POF4-899)

Appears in the scientific report 2025

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Database coverage:
; BIOSIS Previews ; Biological Abstracts ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Current Contents - Clinical Medicine ; Current Contents - Life Sciences ; Ebsco Academic Search ; Essential Science Indicators ; IF >= 5 ; JCR ; Nationallizenz ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection

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