Clinical Features of Acquired Resistance to Anti-PD-1 Therapy in Advanced Melanoma.

Anti-PD-1 therapy has improved clinical outcomes in advanced melanoma, but most patients experience intrinsic resistance. Responding patients can develop acquired resistance to anti-PD-1. We retrospectively reviewed 488 patients treated with anti-PD-1 from three academic centers and identified 36 patients with acquired resistance, defined as disease progression following objective response. The incidence, timing, disease sites, post-progression survival (PPS), and outcomes were evaluated descriptively. The acquired resistance cohort consisted of 67% with more than 1 feature of poor prognosis (stage M1c, elevated LDH, or brain metastasis), and 67% had previously received ipilimumab. Partial and complete responses were achieved in 89% ( = 32) and 11% ( = 4) of patients, respectively, and median time to resistance (progression-free survival; PFS) was 11.1 months (range 4.3-32.8 months). Most progression was isolated (78% of patients, = 28) and occurred while receiving therapy (78%, = 28). The median PPS was 12.8 months (range 0.1-51.8 months), and the median overall survival was 33.7 months. Among isolated progressors, 15 received localized therapy (12 with surgery, 3 with radiation). Patients with isolated versus systemic progression exhibited a trend for improved PPS ( = 0.081), and patients with an initial PFS ≥ 15 months showed significant PPS improvement ( = 0.036). Two patients experienced subsequent responses to anti-PD-1 resumption. In conclusion, acquired resistance to anti-PD-1 was frequently associated with excellent clinical outcomes and often presented as isolated progression amenable to localized therapy (surgery or radiation) or systemic progression sensitive to therapy resumption. .