Association Between Baseline Disease Characteristics and Relapse-Free Survival in Patients With BRAF V600–Mutant Resected Stage III Melanoma Treated With Adjuvant Dabrafenib + Trametinib or Placebo Dirk Schadendorf,1 Reinhard Dummer,2 Axel Hauschild,3 Mario Santinami,4 Victoria Atkinson,5 Mario Mandalà,6 Vanna Chiarion-Sileni,7 James Larkin,8 Marta Nyakas,9 Caroline Dutriaux,10 Andrew Haydon,11 Laurent Mortier,12 Caroline Robert,13 Jacob Schachter,14 Christine-Elke Ortmann,15 Egbert de Jong15 Eduard Gasal,16 Richard Kefford,17 John M. Kirkwood,18 Georgina V. Long19 1University Hospital Essen, Essen, and German Cancer Consortium, Heidelberg, Germany; 2University Hospital Zürich Skin Cancer Center, Zürich, Switzerland; 3University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany; 4Fondazione Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milano, Italy; 5Princess Alexandra Hospital, Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation, University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia; 6Papa Giovanni XXIII Cancer Center Hospital, Bergamo, Italy; 7Melanoma Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padova, Italy; 8The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; 9Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 10Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux, Hôpital Saint-André, Bordeaux, France; 11The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; 12Université de Lille, INSERM U 1189, CHRU Lille, Lille, France; 13Gustave Roussy and Paris-Sud-Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, France; 14Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology and Melanoma, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; 15Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland; 16Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, NJ; 17Macquarie University, Melanoma Institute Australia, Westmead Hospital, and The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; 18Melanoma Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; 19Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, and Royal North Shore and Mater Hospitals, Sydney, NSW, Australia Background • In the double-blind, randomized, phase 3 COMBI-AD trial (NCT01682083), 12 months of adjuvant dabrafenib + trametinib led to significant improvement in relapse-free survival (RFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) vs placebo (RFS hazard ratio [HR], 0.47; P < .001; DMFS HR, 0.51; P < .001) in patients with resected BRAF V600–mutant stage III melanoma1,2 – In the dabrafenib + trametinib arm, 3- and 4-year RFS rates were 59% and 54%, respectively1 – In the dabrafenib + trametinib arm, 3- and 4-year DMFS rates were 71% and 67%, respectively1 • A cure-rate model estimated that treatment with dabrafenib + trametinib led to a 17% absolute increase in the proportion of patients who will remain relapse free long term1 • An interim analysis of overall survival (OS) showed a clinically meaningful improvement with dabrafenib + trametinib vs placebo (HR, 0.57 [95% CI, 0.42-0.79])2 • The safety profile of the combination was consistent with that observed in patients with metastatic melanoma2 • Based on these trial results, dabrafenib + trametinib has been approved by multiple regulatory agencies globally, including the US Food and Drug Administration and European Commission, for the treatment of patients with resected BRAF V600–mutant stage III melanoma3-6 • Previous subgroup analysis of RFS demonstrated similar treatment benefit favoring dabrafenib + trametinib regardless of baseline factors, including1: – Disease stage (per American Joint Committee on Cancer [AJCC] 7th and 8th editions) – Micrometastases/macrometastases – Ulceration of the primary tumor • We present an updated analysis evaluating the association between baseline disease characteristics and RFS to identify patient subgroups likely to benefit from adjuvant treatment Methods • COMBI-AD was a randomized, phase 3 study of dabrafenib + trametinib in patients with completely resected stage III BRAF V600E/K–mutant melanoma (Figure 1)1,7 Figure 1. Study Design N=870 Treatment: 12 monthsa 1:1 R A N D O M I Z A T I O N Key eligibility criteria • Completely resected, high-risk stage IIIA (lymph node metastasis > 1 mm), IIIB, or IIIC cutaneous melanoma • BRAF V600E/K mutation • Surgically free of disease ≤ 12 weeks before randomization • ECOG performance status 0 or 1 • No prior radiotherapy or systemic therapy Stratification • BRAF mutation status (V600E, V600K) • Disease stage (AJCC 7; IIIA, IIIB, IIIC) • Primary endpoint: RFSd • Secondary endpoints: OS, DMFS, FFR, safety Dabrafenib 150 mg BID + trametinib 2 mg QD (n = 438) 2 matched placebos (n = 432) Follow-upb until end of studyc BID, twice daily; DMFS, distant metastasis–free survival; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; FFR, freedom from relapse; QD, once daily. a Or until disease recurrence, death, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal of consent; b Patients were followed up for disease recurrence until the first recurrence and thereafter for survival; c The study will be considered complete and final OS analysis will occur when ≈ 70% of randomized patients have died or are lost to follow-up; d New primary melanoma considered as an event. Analysis of the Association of Baseline Factors With RFS • Within each subgroup, the Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate RFS, and HRs were calculated using a Pike estimator – Covariates including age, sex, T stage, N stage, in-transit metastases, and histological subtype were analyzed – Tumor staging was assessed according to AJCC 7th edition criteria Data Set • Analyses were based on the data cutoff date for an updated analysis of the COMBI-AD study (April 30, 2018) – Minimum follow-up was 40 months for 870 enrolled patients (dabrafenib + trametinib, n = 438; placebo, n = 432) Results • The median age of patients in COMBI-AD was 51 years. Kaplan- Meier analysis of RFS based on age (< median or ≥ median) demonstrated improved RFS in patients treated with dabrafenib + trametinib vs placebo regardless of age (Figure 2) – Age < 51 years: Median RFS was not reached in the dabrafenib + trametinib arm vs 20.1 months in the placebo arm (HR, 0.51 [95% CI, 0.38-0.67]) – Age ≥ 51 years: Median RFS was not reached in the dabrafenib + trametinib arm vs 13.8 months in the placebo arm (HR, 0.49 [95% CI, 0.38-0.64]) Figure 2. Investigator-Assessed Kaplan-Meier RFS Curves by Age 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 Time From Randomization, months P ro p o rt io n A liv e a n d R e la p se F re e 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 221 217 208 224 D+T < 51 y D+T ≥ 51 y PBO < 51 y PBO ≥ 51 y No. at risk 209 204 185 202 207 198 160 162 202 189 137 143 196 185 133 130 192 180 121 122 183 171 109 110 177 158 100 103 171 153 100 98 156 142 95 90 151 130 91 87 148 127 89 86 142 120 86 82 140 116 86 80 134 115 85 79 128 114 82 76 124 113 81 76 122 111 76 75 117 110 74 73 116 109 73 72 95 88 61 67 84 77 53 59 77 71 51 56 62 52 39 41 49 43 32 31 35 30 20 24 27 20 12 15 20 14 9 9 9 4 0 4 4 1 2 2 0 1 0 0 Group Events, n (%) Median (95% CI), mo D+T < 51 y ≥ 51 y 86 (39) 91 (42) NR (45.6-NR) NR (33.2-NR) 0.51 (0.38-0.67) 0.49 (0.38-0.64) - - PBO < 51 y ≥ 51 y 116 (56) 138 (62) 20.1 (13.8-35.3) 13.8 (11.0-19.6) D+T vs PBO HR (95% CI)a Data cutoff: April 30, 2018. D, dabrafenib; NR, not reached; PBO, placebo; T, trametinib. a HR was estimated using Pike estimator. An HR < 1 indicates a lower risk with dabrafenib + trametinib than with placebo. • Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that dabrafenib + trametinib improved RFS vs placebo regardless of patients’ sex (Figure 3) – Female patients: Median RFS was not reached in the dabrafenib + trametinib arm vs 25.5 months in the placebo arm (HR, 0.56 [95% CI, 0.42-0.75]) – Male patients: Median RFS was not reached in the dabrafenib + trametinib arm vs 13.8 months in the placebo arm (HR, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.35-0.58]) Figure 3. Investigator-Assessed Kaplan-Meier RFS Curves by Sex 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 Time From Randomization, months P ro p o rt io n A liv e a n d R e la p se F re e 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 194 244 193 239 D+T female D+T male PBO female PBO male No. at risk 182 231 176 211 179 226 148 174 172 219 130 150 167 214 124 139 162 210 116 127 157 197 105 114 149 186 101 102 144 180 98 100 134 164 94 91 127 154 93 85 123 152 92 83 118 144 90 78 113 143 88 78 108 141 88 76 103 139 85 73 101 136 85 72 100 133 80 71 98 129 77 70 98 127 76 69 84 99 65 63 73 88 56 56 62 86 56 51 48 66 42 38 39 53 33 30 32 33 23 21 21 26 14 13 18 16 9 9 9 4 2 2 5 0 0 2 2 1 0 0 Group Events, n (%) Median (95% CI), mo D+T Female Male 78 (40) 99 (41) NR (43.6-NR) NR (41.5-NR) 0.56 (0.42-0.75) 0.45 (0.35-0.58) - - PBO Female Male 108 (56) 146 (61) 25.5 (13.8-49.8) 13.8 (11.0-19.4) D+T vs PBO HR (95% CI)a Data cutoff: April 30, 2018. a HR was estimated using Pike estimator. An HR < 1 indicates a lower risk with dabrafenib + trametinib than with placebo. • RFS benefit consistently favored dabrafenib + trametinib vs placebo across all T stages classified per AJCC 7th edition criteria (Figure 4) – T1: Median RFS was not reached in the dabrafenib + trametinib or placebo arms (HR, 0.42 [95% CI, 0.25-0.70]) – T2: Median RFS was not reached in the dabrafenib + trametinib arm vs 22.1 months in the placebo arm (HR, 0.51 [95% CI, 0.34-0.76]) – T3: Median RFS was 44.5 months in the dabrafenib + trametinib arm vs 16.6 months in the placebo arm (HR, 0.55 [95% CI, 0.39- 0.77]) – T4: Median RFS was 40.9 months in the dabrafenib + trametinib arm vs 8.6 months in the placebo arm (HR, 0.42 [95% CI, 0.29-0.60]) Figure 4. Investigator-Assessed Kaplan-Meier RFS Curves by T stage 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 Time From Randomization, months P ro p o rt io n A liv e a n d R e la p se F re e 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 74 108 140 106 83 102 128 106 D+T T1 D+T T2 D+T T3 D+T T4 PBO T1 PBO T2 PBO T3 PBO T4 No. at risk 70 102 133 99 79 92 120 85 70 100 128 98 69 78 98 69 68 98 125 91 62 70 85 55 67 95 121 90 56 67 81 51 67 94 117 87 54 62 71 48 65 91 112 81 51 55 65 42 63 87 104 76 49 50 60 38 60 85 100 74 49 50 57 36 56 77 90 70 44 48 54 33 53 73 87 65 43 47 50 32 52 72 85 63 43 46 49 31 52 68 80 59 41 44 46 31 50 67 78 58 41 42 46 31 50 63 77 56 41 41 45 31 49 62 73 55 41 38 45 29 49 61 70 54 41 38 45 28 49 59 69 53 40 37 43 26 48 59 68 49 40 35 42 25 48 59 67 48 40 34 41 25 46 48 47 39 33 31 34 25 38 44 44 32 28 26 31 22 36 38 41 30 27 25 29 21 28 31 29 24 19 20 23 15 23 27 21 19 16 15 18 12 19 18 13 13 11 11 13 8 12 13 11 9 8 5 7 6 9 7 10 6 4 3 7 3 1 3 5 3 1 0 1 2 1 1 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 T3 T4 63 (45) 49 (46) 44.5 (30.7-NR) 40.9 (26.8-NR) 0.55 (0.39-0.77) 0.42 (0.29-0.60) - - PBO T1 T2 38 (46) 57 (56) NR (16.6-NR) 22.1 (11.5-41.3) D+T T1 T2 18 (24) 42 (39) NR (NR-NR) NR (38.9-NR) 0.42 (0.25-0.70) 0.51 (0.34-0.76) Group Events, n (%) Median (95% CI), mo - - T3 T4 77 (60) 75 (71) 16.6 (10.8-33.1) 8.6 (5.6-13.9) D+T vs PBO HR (95% CI)a Data cutoff: April 30, 2018. a HR was estimated using Pike estimator. An HR < 1 indicates a lower risk with dabrafenib + trametinib than with placebo. • RFS was longer with dabrafenib + trametinib than with placebo across all N stages classified per AJCC 7th edition criteria (Figure 5) – N1: Median RFS was not reached in the dabrafenib + trametinib arm vs 33.1 months in the placebo arm (HR, 0.52 [95% CI, 0.37-0.72]) – N2: Median RFS was not reached in the dabrafenib + trametinib arm vs 12.2 months in the placebo arm (HR, 0.38 [95% CI, 0.28- 0.53]) – N3: Median RFS was 24.2 months in the dabrafenib + trametinib arm vs 7.1 months in the placebo arm (HR, 0.58 [95% CI, 0.41-0.83]) • RFS benefit favored dabrafenib + trametinib vs placebo regardless of the absence or presence of in-transit metastases (Figure 6) – In patients without in-transit metastases, median RFS was not reached in the dabrafenib + trametinib arm vs 17.2 months in the placebo arm (HR, 0.49 [95% CI, 0.40-0.60]) – In patients with in-transit metastases, median RFS was 45.6 months in the dabrafenib + trametinib arm vs 5.7 months in the placebo arm (HR, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.24-0.82]) Figure 5. Investigator-Assessed Kaplan-Meier RFS Curves by N stage 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 Time From Randomization, months P ro p o rt io n A liv e a n d R e la p se F re e 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 169 159 110 176 158 97 D+T N1 D+T N2 D+T N3 PBO N1 PBO N2 PBO N3 No. at risk 163 148 102 169 139 78 161 144 100 151 112 58 155 140 96 130 100 50 151 138 92 127 89 47 147 135 90 119 82 42 143 128 83 111 70 38 134 123 78 104 63 36 129 120 75 101 62 35 121 112 65 95 57 33 115 106 60 91 55 32 113 103 59 90 53 32 110 100 52 86 51 31 107 99 50 86 50 30 105 96 48 85 49 30 103 94 45 81 48 29 101 91 45 80 48 29 99 90 44 76 48 27 96 89 42 74 47 26 96 88 41 72 47 26 78 70 35 64 40 24 71 60 30 53 36 23 66 53 29 50 36 21 52 37 25 41 25 14 48 24 20 30 21 12 34 16 15 21 16 7 22 13 12 14 7 6 18 7 9 8 5 5 7 2 4 2 0 2 2 0 3 1 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 N3 64 (58) 24.2 (19.3-40.8) 0.58 (0.41-0.83) - - PBO N1 N2 90 (51) 98 (62) 33.1 (19.6-57.9) 12.2 (8.3-17.3) D+T N1 N2 56 (33) 57 (36) NR (NR-NR) NR (47.9-NR) 0.52 (0.37-0.72) 0.38 (0.28-0.53) Group Events, n (%) Median (95% CI), mo -N3 65 (67) 7.1 (5.4-12.8) D+T vs PBO HR (95% CI)a Data cutoff: April 30, 2018. a HR was estimated using Pike estimator. An HR < 1 indicates a lower risk with dabrafenib + trametinib than with placebo. Figure 6. Investigator-Assessed Kaplan-Meier RFS Curves by Status of In-Transit Metastases 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 Time From Randomization, months P ro p o rt io n A liv e a n d R e la p se F re e 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 387 51 395 36 D+T: no D+T: yes PBO: no PBO: yes No. at risk 367 46 359 27 362 43 302 19 352 39 262 17 342 39 246 16 334 38 227 15 318 36 205 13 300 35 190 12 291 33 185 12 269 29 173 11 254 27 166 11 248 27 163 11 236 26 156 11 230 26 154 11 225 24 152 11 218 24 146 11 213 24 145 11 209 24 139 11 203 24 136 10 202 23 134 10 163 20 119 8 144 17 104 7 132 16 99 7 102 12 76 4 82 10 60 3 58 7 41 3 40 7 24 3 29 5 16 2 11 2 3 1 5 0 2 0 2 1 0 0 Group Events, n (%) Median (95% CI), mo D+T No Yes 153 (40) 24 (47) NR (NR-NR) 45.6 (19.1-NR) 0.49 (0.40-0.60) 0.45 (0.24-0.82) - - PBO No Yes 229 (58) 25 (69) 17.2 (13.8-23.7) 5.7 (2.8-34.1) D+T vs PBO HR (95% CI)a Data cutoff: April 30, 2018. a HR was estimated using Pike estimator. An HR < 1 indicates a lower risk with dabrafenib + trametinib than with placebo. Figure 7. Investigator-Assessed Kaplan-Meier RFS Curves by Histological Subtype (superficial spreading, nodular, other) 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 Time From Randomization, months P ro p o rt io n A liv e a n d R e la p se F re e 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 191 102 145 173 119 139 D+T superficial spreading D+T nodular D+T other PBO superficial spreading PBO nodular PBO other No. at risk 181 98 134 160 105 121 179 97 129 132 90 99 173 93 125 113 76 90 170 90 121 108 72 82 168 88 116 102 71 69 161 82 111 95 64 59 151 78 106 87 60 55 149 76 99 87 57 53 136 71 91 83 50 51 131 66 84 81 47 49 128 65 82 80 46 48 124 62 76 78 43 46 122 60 74 77 42 46 118 58 73 75 42 46 115 57 70 73 41 43 114 55 68 73 40 43 114 52 67 71 38 41 111 51 65 70 36 40 110 51 64 69 35 40 92 36 55 58 31 38 77 33 51 50 29 33 73 32 43 49 28 30 57 25 32 39 21 20 49 22 21 31 19 13 34 16 15 21 13 10 25 11 11 15 6 6 19 6 9 10 5 3 6 1 6 1 3 0 1 1 3 1 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 Other 62 (43) 47.9 (28.8-NR) 0.49 (0.36-0.69) - - PBO Superficial spreading Nodular 93 (54) 77 (65) 24.4 (13.8-52.9) 16.5 (11.1-22.1) D+T Superficial spreading Nodular 66 (35) 49 (48) NR (NR-NR) 45.6 (28.8-NR) 0.48 (0.35-0.66) 0.53 (0.37-0.75) Group Events, n (%) Median (95% CI), mo -Other 84 (60) 11.0 (8.4-20.2) D+T vs PBO HR (95% CI)a Data cutoff: April 30, 2018. a HR was estimated using Pike estimator. An HR < 1 indicates a lower risk with dabrafenib + trametinib than with placebo. • Dabrafenib + trametinib improved RFS vs placebo regardless of histological subtype (Figure 7) – In patients with nodular melanoma, median RFS was 45.6 months in the dabrafenib + trametinib arm vs 16.5 months in the placebo arm (HR, 0.53 [95% CI, 0.37-0.75]) – In patients with superficial spreading melanoma, median RFS was not reached in the dabrafenib + trametinib arm vs 24.4 months in the placebo arm (HR, 0.48 [95% CI, 0.35-0.66]) Conclusions • RFS benefit favored dabrafenib + trametinib in patients with completely resected stage III BRAF V600E/K– mutant melanoma vs placebo regardless of the following baseline factors, confirming previous findings1: – Age – Sex – T stage – N stage – Status of in-transit metastases – Histological subtype • This updated analysis supports the use of dabrafenib + trametinib regardless of clinical and pathological factors at treatment initiation References 1. Hauschild A, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2018;36:3441-3449. 2. Long GV, et al. N Engl J Med. 2017;377:1813-1823. 3. Tafinlar (dabrafenib) [package insert]. East Hanover, NJ: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; 2018. 4. Mekinist (trametinib) [package insert]. East Hanover, NJ: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; 2018. 5. Tafinlar (dabrafenib) [summary of product characteristics]. Camberley, UK: Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd; 2018. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/tafinlar-epar- product-information_en.pdf. Accessed April 18, 2019. 6. Mekinist (trametinib) [summary of product characteristics]. Camberley, UK: Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd; 2019. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/mekinist-epar- product-information_en.pdf. Accessed April 18, 2019. 7. Dummer R, et al. ESMO 2018 [poster 1250P]. Acknowledgments We thank the patients and their families for their participation. We also thank study site staff, additional investigators, and others for their contributions. We thank Maurizio Voi, MD (Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation), for guidance and critical review and Jorge J. Moreno-Cantu, MSc, PhD (Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation), for editorial assistance. This study was sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline; dabrafenib and trametinib are assets of Novartis AG as of March 2, 2015. We thank Zareen Khan, PhD, from ArticulateScience LLC, for medical editorial assistance with this presentation, which was funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, NJ, in accordance with Good Publication Practice (GPP3) (https://www.ismpp.org/gpp3) guidelines and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors recommendations. This was previously presented at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting Text: Qf6c35 To: 8NOVA (86682) US Only +18324604729 North, Central and South Americas; Caribbean; China +447860024038 UK, Europe & Russia +46737494608 Sweden, Europe Scan this QR code Copies of this poster obtained through Quick Response (QR) Code are for personal use only and may not be reproduced without permission from ASCO® and the author of this poster. Visit the web at: http://novartis.medicalcongressposters.com/Default.aspx?doc=f6c35