CP Skin Cancer

Summary

The NCT Skin Cancer Program focusses on patients with metastasized skin cancer, mainly melanoma but also squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma and other rarer entities. Each year about 300 newly diagnosed and more than 2000 follow-up patients with melanoma are seen, in addition more than 2400 patients with newly diagnosed epithelial cancer and about 70 with rarer skin cancers. The clinical trials program ranges from phase I to IV and offers promising new treatments to our patients – being an internationally renowned clinical trial center. Own investigator initiated trials are developed (TaMe, IRINA, Sportivumab, PEF-Immun). Clinical treatment is accompanied by a routinely done biobanking with the aim to perform translational research. Key questions to be answered are mechanisms of response and resistance to immunotherapy as well as biomarkers for the development of severe or rare adverse events. Here, collaborations with groups of the DKFZ, other NCT-partners e.g. in Dresden as well as through the DKTK and Krebshilfe consortium are active.

CP Skin
 

CP Coordinator

Prof. Dr. Jessica Hassel

Prof. Dr. Jessica Hassel
Dermatology/NCT

 
 
 

Title & Name

Institute

Department

Internal members

 

 

Prof. Jessica Hassel

Dermatology / NCT

Section DermatoOncology

Dr. Sophia Strobel

Dermatology / NCT

Section DermatoOncology

Dr. Timo Schank

Dermatology / NCT

Section DermatoOncology

Dr. Katharina Kähler

Dermatology / NCT

Section DermatoOncology

Silvia Körner

Dermatology / NCT

Section DermatoOncology

Melanie Leierer

Dermatology / NCT

Section DermatoOncology

Angela Klein

Dermatology / NCT

Section DermatoOncology

Emine Inan

Dermatology / NCT

Section DermatoOncology

Dr. Carsten Schulz

Dermatology / NCT

Section DermatoOncology

Lisa Brauch

Dermatology / NCT

Section DermatoOncology

Jasmin Roth

Dermatology / NCT

Section DermatoOncology

Devajani Machirayu

Dermatology / NCT

Section DermatoOncology

Melanie Wiecken

Dermatology / NCT

Section DermatoOncology

Helga Schüren-Münch

Dermatology / NCT

Section DermatoOncology

Maria Mateovic

Dermatology / NCT

Section DermatoOncology

Viola Fieber

Dermatology / NCT

Section DermatoOncology

Rotating residents from Dep. of Dermatology

Dermatology

Section DermatoOncology

Partners

 

 

Dr. Isabel Poschke

DKFZ

Immunomonitoring Core Facility

Prof. Dirk Jäger

NCT

Medical Oncology

Ingeborg Rötzer

NCT

Nutrition therapy

Prof. Amir Abdollahi

DKFZ

CCU Radiation Oncology

Dr. Kristin Lang

UKHD

Radiation Oncology

Prof. Rienk Offringa

DKFZ

Molecular Oncology of Gastrointestinal Tumors

Prof. Stefan Eichmüller

DKFZ

GMP & T Cell Therapy

Prof. Walter Haefeli

UKHD

KliPS

Prof. Peter Dreger

UKHD

Hematology

Prof. Joachim Wiskemann

NCT

Medical Oncology, Exercise

Prof. Christiane Bieber

UKHD

Psychosomatics

Prof. Karin Jordan

UKHD

Hematology

Dr. Berit Jordan

UKHD

Neurology

Prof. Antonia Dimitrakopoulou-Strauss

DKFZ

CCU nuclear medicine

All efforts of the CP Skin Cancer are patient-focused with the aim to optimize patients’ treatment and oncologic outcome. Translational research is driven by clinical questions on: 

  • Characterization of treatment response and resistance to immunotherapy
  • Mechanisms/biomarkers for the development of immune-related adverse events
  • Investigator-initiated trials to increase treatment efficacy (IRINA, Mel-TIL), treatment tolerability (Sportivumab) and satisfaction with treatment decision making (PEF-Immun)
  • International multi-center trials phase I to IV to offer promising new treatments to patients before approval
  • Multidisciplinary patient management
  • Clinical trials from phase I to IV for patients with metastasized melanoma, merkel cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma (Robert et al, JCO 2020; Sahin et al, Nature 2020; Zimmer et al, Lancet 2020)
  • Investigator-initiated trials on melanoma treatment (TaMe; Hassel et al, Oncoimmunology 2017)
  • Jessica C. Hassel leads the task force immunooncology of the Krebshilfe, the DeCOG (ADO) committee on adverse events, and is part of the faculty of ESMO (Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy; Investigational Immunotherapy). She participates in the S3 guidelines on melanoma as well as supportive therapy.
  • Investigator initiated trials receive funding from the DKTK (IRINA), innovation fond of GBA (PEF-Immun) and NCT-internal funding (Sportivumab, Mel-TIL).
  • Together with A. Dimitrakopoulou-Strauss (CCU nuclear medicine, DKFZ) new classification criteria for PET-CT assessment under immunotherapy were developed (PERCIMT criteria, Anwar et al, Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2018)
  1. Translational research projects focus on:
    1. mechanisms of response and resistance of immune checkpoint blockers (TIL-REP, BMBF funded, Poschke et al, CCR 2020; Hassel et al, in preparation)
    2. the role of immune checkpoints in melanoma (RITLIM, funded by DFG (RTG2099) and pharma (BMS); Machiraju et al, in revision)
    3. the interaction of immunotherapy with radiation therapy (ELEKTRA, pharma-funded; Hassel et al, in preparation) and abscopal responses (IRINA, funded by DKTK and NCT)
    4. expression of potential targets for cell-based therapies on melanoma cells (Unicar, funded by DKTK; Mitwasi et al, Sci Rep 2020; Strobel et al, Life 2021)
    5. the use of artificial intelligence for response prediction of immunotherapy (NCT-internal funding)
       
  2. Jessica C. Hassel received the German Skin Cancer Award for her translational research in 2018.
  1. Sachpekidis C, Kopp-Schneider A, Pan L, Papamichail D, Haberkorn U, Hassel JC*, Dimitrakopoulou-Strauss A*. Interim [18F]FDG PET/CT can predict response to anti-PD-1 treatment in metastatic melanoma. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2020 Dec 18. doi: 10.1007/s00259-020-05137-7. [*contributed equally, IF 7.081]
  2. Salzmann M, Benesova K, Buder-Bakhaya K, Papamichail D, Dimitrakopoulou-Strauss A, Lorenz HM, Enk AH, Hassel JC. Arthralgia Induced by BRAF Inhibitor Therapy in Melanoma Patients. Cancers (Basel). 2020 Oct 16;12(10):3004. doi: 10.3390/cancers12103004. [IF 6.126]
  3. Robert C, Long GV, Brady B, Dutriaux C, Di Giacomo AM, Mortier L, Rutkowski P, Hassel JC, McNeil CM, Kalinka EA, Lebbé C, Charles J, Hernberg MM, Savage KJ, Chiarion-Sileni V, Mihalcioiu C, Mauch C, Arance A, Cognetti F, Ny L, Schmidt H, Schadendorf D, Gogas H, Zoco J, Re S, Ascierto PA, Atkinson V. Five-Year Outcomes With Nivolumab in Patients With Wild-Type BRAF Advanced Melanoma.  J Clin Oncol. 2020 Nov 20;38(33):3937-3946. doi: 10.1200/JCO.20.00995. [IF 32.956]
  4. Salzmann M, Leiter U, Loquai C, Zimmer L, Ugurel S, Gutzmer R, Thoms KM, Enk AH, Hassel JC. Programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitors in advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma: real-world data of a retrospective, multicenter study. Eur J Cancer. 2020 Oct;138:125-132. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2020.07.029 [IF 7.275]
  5. Sadik A, Somarribas Patterson LF, Öztürk S, Mohapatra SR, Panitz V, Secker PF, Pfänder P, Loth S, Salem H, Prentzell MT, Berdel B, Iskar M, Faessler E, Reuter F, Kirst I, Kalter V, Foerster KI, Jäger E, Guevara CR, Sobeh M, Hielscher T, Poschet G, Reinhardt A, Hassel JC, Zapatka M, Hahn U, von Deimling A, Hopf C, Schlichting R, Escher BI, Burhenne J, Haefeli WE, Ishaque N, Böhme A, Schäuble S, Thedieck K, Trump S, Seiffert M, Opitz CA. IL4I1 Is a Metabolic Immune Checkpoint that Activates the AHR and Promotes Tumor Progression.  Cell. 2020 Sep 3;182(5):1252-1270.e34. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.07.038. [IF 38.637]
  6. Sahin U, Oehm P, Derhovanessian E, Jabulowsky RA, Vormehr M, Gold M, Maurus D, Schwarck-Kokarakis D, Kuhn AN, Omokoko T, Kranz LM, Diken M, Kreiter S, Haas H, Attig S, Rae R, Cuk K, Kemmer-Brück A, Breitkreuz A, Tolliver C, Caspar J, Quinkhardt J, Hebich L, Stein M, Hohberger A, Vogler I, Liebig I, Renken S, Sikorski J, Leierer M, Müller V, Mitzel-Rink H, Miederer M, Huber C, Grabbe S, Utikal J, Pinter A, Kaufmann R, Hassel JC*, Loquai C*, Türeci Ö*. An RNA vaccine drives immunity in checkpoint-inhibitor-treated melanoma. Nature. 2020 Sep;585(7823):107-112. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2537-9. [*contributed equally, IF 42.778]
  7. Zimmer L, Livingstone E, Hassel JC, Fluck M, Eigentler T, Loquai C, Haferkamp S, Gutzmer R, Meier F, Mohr P, Hauschild A, Schilling B, Menzer C, Kieker F, Dippel E, Rösch A, Simon JC, Conrad B, Körner S, Windemuth-Kieselbach C, Schwarz L, Garbe C, Becker JC, Schadendorf D; Dermatologic Cooperative Oncology Group. Adjuvant nivolumab plus ipilimumab or nivolumab monotherapy versus placebo in patients with resected stage IV melanoma with no evidence of disease (IMMUNED): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial. Lancet. 2020 May 16;395(10236):1558-1568. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30417-7 [IF 60.392]
  8. Poschke IC, Hassel JC, Rodriguez-Ehrenfried A, Lindner KAM, Heras-Murillo I, Appel LM, Lehmann J, Lövgren T, Wickström SL, Lauenstein C, Roth J, König AK, Haanen JBAG, van den Berg J, Kiessling R, Bergmann F, Flossdorf M, Strobel O, Offringa R. The Outcome of Ex Vivo TIL Expansion Is Highly Influenced by Spatial Heterogeneity of the Tumor T-Cell Repertoire and Differences in Intrinsic In Vitro Growth Capacity between T-Cell Clones. Clin Cancer Res. 2020 Aug 15;26(16):4289-4301. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-19-3845 [IF 10.107]
  9. Menzer C, Menzies AM, Carlino MS, Reijers I, Groen EJ, Eigentler T, de Groot JWB, van der Veldt AAM, Johnson DB, Meiss F, Schlaak M, Schilling B, Westgeest HM, Gutzmer R, Pföhler C, Meier F, Zimmer L, Suijkerbuijk KPM, Haalck T, Thoms KM, Herbschleb K, Leichsenring J, Menzer A, Kopp-Schneider A, Long GV, Kefford R, Enk A, Blank CU, Hassel JC. Targeted Therapy in Advanced Melanoma With Rare BRAF Mutations. J Clin Oncol. 2019 Nov 20;37(33):3142-3151. doi: 10.1200/JCO.19.00489 [IF 32.956]
  10. Hassel JC. 5-year results for pembrolizumab treatment of advanced melanoma.  Lancet Oncol. 2019 Sep;20(9):1187-1189. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30483-8 [IF 33.752]

 

Further publications:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Hassel%20JC&sort=date