Observational study of talimogene laherparepvec use for melanoma in clinical practice in the United States (COSMUS-1)

AIM: Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is an intralesional treatment for unresectable cutaneous, subcutaneous and nodal melanoma. COSMUS-1 was conducted to examine how T-VEC is used in US clinical practice. MATERIALS & METHODS: A chart review was conducted at seven centers, with 78 patients screened and 76 eligible. RESULTS: Patients began treatment with T-VEC between October 2015 and December 2016. Median follow-up was 9.4 months. Twenty percent of patients (n = 15) completed T-VEC treatment with no remaining injectable lesions or pathologic complete response. Flu-like symptoms were the most commonly reported adverse events (n = 8; 10.5%), followed by lesion ulceration (n = 4; 5.3%). No herpetic lesions or infections were reported. CONCLUSION: T-VEC was well tolerated and showed clinical utility.