Combination of Pembrolizumab with Electrochemotherapy in Cutaneous Metastases from Melanoma

Published Date: 25th August 2021

Publication Authors: Pritchard-Jones R

Simple Summary
Electrochemotherapy (ECT) combines a cytotoxic agent with locally applied electric pulses to enhance its antitumor effect. Over the last 15 years, ECT has been safely applied to patients with skin metastases in combination with other oncologic treatments and, more recently, with systemic immunotherapy. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of ECT in combination with pembrolizumab. We compared patient outcomes after the following treatments: (a) pembrolizumab, (b) pembrolizumab and ECT, and (c) ECT alone. The combined application of pembrolizumab and ECT was safe and more efficacious in preventing further growth of cutaneous metastases than pembrolizumab alone. The patients treated with pembrolizumab and ECT experienced lower disease progression rates and longer survival than those who received pembrolizumab. ECT may boost the effect of pembrolizumab by acting as an in situ vaccination against cancer cells. Further studies are required to confirm these findings.

 

Campana, LG; Pritchard-Jones, R et al. (2021). Combination of Pembrolizumab with Electrochemotherapy in Cutaneous Metastases from Melanoma: A Comparative Retrospective Study from the InspECT and Slovenian Cancer Registry. Cancers. 13 (17), 4289

 

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