Genetic Factors Associated with Clinical Response in Melanoma Patients Treated with Talimogene Laherparapvec: A Single-Institution Retrospective Analysis
2025

Genetic Factors Linked to Melanoma Response to T-VEC Treatment

Sample size: 69 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Sierra-Davidson Kailan MD, DPHIL, Dedeilia Aikaterini MD, Lawless Aleigha RN, Sharova Tanya MD, Kaufman Howard L. MD, Boland Genevieve M. MD, PHD, Cohen Sonia MD, PHD

Primary Institution: Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Hypothesis

Are there tumor-intrinsic genetic factors associated with tumor control in melanoma patients treated with T-VEC?

Conclusion

TERT promotor mutations may drive clinical response in melanoma patients treated with T-VEC.

Supporting Evidence

  • 30% of patients had a complete response to T-VEC treatment.
  • Stage III disease was significantly associated with clinical response.
  • Absence of visceral or CNS metastases was linked to better outcomes.

Takeaway

This study looked at melanoma patients treated with a special virus to see if certain genetic changes in their tumors helped them respond better to the treatment.

Methodology

A retrospective analysis of melanoma patients treated with T-VEC, collecting demographic, clinical, and genomic data.

Potential Biases

Referral bias and potential underpowering to detect additional prognostic markers.

Limitations

The study is limited to a single institution and may have biases based on referral patterns.

Participant Demographics

{"male":37,"female":32,"median_age":78,"age_distribution":{"under_60":6,"60_to_80":34,"over_80":29}}

Statistical Information

P-Value

p=0.043

Statistical Significance

p<0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1245/s10434-024-16346-x

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