Biomarker status and response to topical diphencyprone in melanoma
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Is there a correlation between actionable biomarker status and response of in transit melanoma metastases to topical diphencyprone?
IRAS ID
227816
Contact name
Jennifer Garioch
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Norfolk And Norwich University Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 6 days
Research summary
In transit metastases (ITMs) are recurrences of melanoma in the skin and deeper tissues. They occur between the site of original melanoma and the draining lymph nodes. They can be many in number and so can be difficult to treat. At Norwich, a cream called diphencyprone has been used since 2009 to treat ITMs with good results - 60% of patients responded to treatment with DPCP cream (BJD 2016;174(5):1141-1142). Patients who responded were much less likely to develop spread of their melanoma to distant sites and lived significantly longer compared with those who did not respond. DPCP stimulates the body's immune system allowing the immune system to destroy the melanoma cells in the ITMs. The exact mechanisms whereby DPCP achieves this are not known.
Approximately 50% of all melanomas carry a mutation of a gene called BRAF. This gene mutation is thought to be one of the main drivers of melanoma allowing the tumour cells to multiply and divide. In addition, some melanomas may exhibit proteins on the surface of the tumour cells which can suppress the action of the immune system. One such protein is called programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) which can attach to a receptor on immune cells called T cells (CD8) - the receptor is called programmed death - ligand 1 (PD-L1) . A link between the BRAF mutation, PD-1, PD-L1, CD8 cells, ITMs and DPCP has not previously been studied.
This study will answer an important question of whether there is any correlation between response of ITMs to DPCP and BRAF mutation status, PD-1, PD-L1 and CD8 expression.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EE/0451
Date of REC Opinion
7 Dec 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion