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Adjuvant Immunotherapy of Resected, Intermediate-Thickness, Node-Negative Melanoma With an Allogeneic Tumor Vaccine: Impact of HLA Class I Antigen Expression on Outcome

From the Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; Southwest Oncology Group Statistical Center and University of Washington, Seattle, WA; Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, and University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; and University of Southern California and University of California Los Angeles Immunogenetics Center, Los Angeles, CA.

Address reprint requests to Publications Specialist, Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG-9035), 14980 Omicron Dr, San Antonio, TX 78245-3217.

PURPOSE: An association between expression of two of five HLA class I antigens (HLA-A2, HLA-A28, HLA-B44, HLA-B45, and HLA-C3; collectively called M5) and response to an allogeneic melanoma vaccine (Melacine; Corixa Corporation, Seattle, WA) has been described in stage IV melanoma. This study investigated whether class I antigen expression impacted relapse-free survival (RFS) after adjuvant therapy with this vaccine.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed class I (HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-C) serotyping on patients enrolled onto Southwest Oncology Group Trial 9035, a randomized, observation-controlled, phase III trial of adjuvant Melacine. All patients had clinically node-negative cutaneous melanoma (1.5 to 4.0 mm). Interactions between treatment and class I antigen expression were tested. Analyses involved all serotyped patients and were adjusted for tumor thickness, method of nodal staging, sex, ulceration, and primary tumor site.

RESULTS: HLA typing was performed on 553 (80%) of the 689 enrolled patients (294 vaccinated and 259 observed). Expression of two M5 antigens was associated with a superior vaccine treatment effect. Among patients who matched two of the M5, the 97 vaccine-treated patients had improved RFS compared with the 78 observation patients (5-year relapse-free survival, 83% v 59%; P = .0002). The major components of this effect were contributed by HLA-A2 and HLA-C3. Among those who were HLA-A2–positive and/or HLA-C3–positive, the 5-year RFS for vaccinated patients was 77%, compared with 64% for observation (P = .004). There was no impact of HLA-A2 and/or HLA-C3 expression among observation patients.

CONCLUSION: This prospective analysis indicates a highly significant benefit of adjuvant therapy with Melacine among patients expressing two of the M5 class I antigens, validating a prior observation in stage IV disease. HLA-A2 and HLA-C3 contributed most to this effect. Processed melanoma peptides found in Melacine may be presented by HLA-A2 and HLA-C3 and play a role in preventing relapse in vaccinated patients.

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