Sex-Based Differences in Treatment with Immune Checkpoint Inhibition and Targeted Therapy for Advanced Melanoma: A Nationwide Cohort Study

• Published in: Cancers Vol. 13; no. 18; p. 4639
• Main Authors: van der Kooij, Monique, Dekkers, Olaf, Aarts, Maureen, van den Berkmortel, Franchette, Boers-Sonderen, Marye, de Groot, Jan, Hospers, Geke, Piersma, Djura, van Rijn, Rozemarijn, Suijkerbuijk, Karijn, Westgeest, Hans, van der Veldt, Astrid, Vreugdenhil, Gerard, Wilgenhof, Sofie, Wouters, Michel, Haanen, John, van den Eertwegh, Alfonsus, Kapiteijn, Ellen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 16.09.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Adverse events; Age; Antigens; Clinical outcomes; Cohort analysis; Cytotoxicity; Disease; Immune checkpoint inhibitors; Immunotherapy; Melanoma; Metastasis; Mortality; Mutation; Patients; Risk factors; Skin cancer; Software; Survival; Survival analysis; Womens health; United States > US; Netherlands
• ISSN: 2072-6694; 2072-6694
• DOI: 10.3390/cancers13184639

Recent meta-analyses show conflicting data on sex-dependent benefit following systemic treatment for advanced melanoma patients. We examined the nationwide Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry (July 2013–July 2018), assessing sex-dependent differences in advanced melanoma patients (stage IIIC/IV) with respect to clinical characteristics, mutational profiles, treatments initiated, grade 3–4 adverse events (AEs), treatment responses, and mortality. We included 3985 patients, 2363 men (59%) and showed that although men and women with advanced melanoma differ in clinical and tumor characteristics, the safety profile of immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) is comparable. The data suggest a 10% survival advantage for women, mainly seen in patients ≥60 years of age and patients with BRAF V600 mutant melanoma. Following ICI there was no survival difference.