Topical diphencyprone may affect melanoma metastases proteins
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
BOSTON — An increase in immune checkpoint proteins was observed in metastatic melanoma patients treated with topical diphencyprone, according to a study presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting.
“Diphencyprone, or DPCD for short, has been used for many years to treat various dermatologic conditions including alopecia areata and warts, but more recently it’s been used as a treatment for cutaneous metastases of melanoma,” Nicholas Gulati, MD, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine and director of both the oncodermatology clinic and early detection of skin cancer clinic at Mount Sinai, told Healio. “In this study we focused on the proteomic signature of the reactions that this agent generates.”
Skin biopsies of skin metastases were taken at various timepoints, including before DPCP application and 30 days after completion of all applications. Non-melanoma skin was also biopsied after one DPCD application. Using the Olink immuno-oncology panel, 96 proteins were studied.
Of six melanoma patients studied, five experienced partial regression of metastasis after DPCP treatment. One patient left the study, and one was removed due to a failure for DPCP to induce inflammation in the non-lesional skin, leaving four in the total study cohort.
“When this topical agent was applied to the metastases of melanoma patients, various proteins that are involved in immune reactions are increased, including ones in the TH1 pathway of immunities and interestingly, there is also upregulation of checkpoint inhibition molecules,” Gulati said. “This is of interest to us because there is a possibility for us as dermatologists with our topical therapies to assist in the treatment of these patients with advanced cancer.”
The study’s main limitation was its small sample size, and the researchers are aiming to continue it with a larger group that will more formally study DPCP and its usefulness combined with immune checkpoint inhibition.