Talimogene Laherparepvec and Pembrolizumab in Treating Patients With Stage III-IV Melanoma

Exclusion Criteria

• •Cohort B: Patients must not have any visceral lesions
• •Patients must not have had surgery, biologic therapy, or hormonal therapy within 14 days prior to registration; patients must not have had chemotherapy, targeted small molecule therapy, or radiation therapy within 14 days prior to registration; patients must not have had a monoclonal antibody for cancer treatment, except anti-PD1/L1 antibodies, within 28 days prior to registration
• •* Patients must have recovered from all adverse events due to prior anti-cancer therapy (residual toxicity =\< grade 1) prior to registration, with the exception of patients with =\< grade 2 neuropathy, =\< grade 2 hypothyroidism, or =\< grade 2 alopecia
• •* If patients received major surgery, they must have recovered adequately from toxicity and/or complications from the intervention prior to registration
• •Patients must not have received prior treatment with talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC); prior treatment with T-VEC is defined as receiving at least one injection with 1 x 10\^8 plaque forming units (pfu)
• •Patients must not have received any live vaccine within 30 days prior to registration; seasonal flu vaccines that do not contain live virus are permitted
• •Patients must not be planning to receive other biologic therapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, surgery, or other therapy while on this protocol; palliative radiation therapy or surgery can be considered for symptomatic non-target lesions after discussions with the study team
• •Patients must not have known history of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) due to contraindication of talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) in immune-compromised patients and that administration of talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) has not been tested in HIV-positive patients; the use of physiologic doses of corticosteroids may be approved after consultation with the study chair
• •Patients must not have history of (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids or current pneumonitis
• •Patients must not have an active infection requiring systemic therapy nor a viral infection requiring intermittent treatment with an antiherpetic drug, other than intermittent topical use
• •Patients must not have active herpetic skin lesions or prior complications of herpetic infection (e.g., herpetic keratitis or encephalitis) which requires intermittent or chronic treatment with an anti-herpetic drug other than intermittent topical use
• •Patients must not have organ allografts
• •Patients must not have an uncontrolled intercurrent illness or whose control may be jeopardized by the treatment with the study therapy, or psychiatric illness/social situations which would limit compliance with study requirements
• •Patients must not have active autoimmune disease (e.g., pneumonitis, glomerulonephritis, vasculitis, or other) that requires systemic treatment (i.e., use of corticosteroids, immunosuppressive drugs or biological agents used for treatment of autoimmune diseases) in the past 2 years; replacement therapy (e.g., thyroxine for hypothyroidism, insulin for diabetes or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency) is not considered a form of systemic treatment for autoimmune disease
• •Patient must not have evidence of any clinically significant immunosuppression such as the following:
• •* Primary immunodeficiency state such as severe combined immunodeficiency disease;
• •* Concurrent opportunistic infection;
• •* Receiving systemic immunosuppressive therapy (\> 2 weeks) including oral steroid doses \> 10 mg/day of prednisone or equivalent within 2 months prior to enrollment
• •Patients must not have any other malignancy that requires active treatment
• •Patients must not be pregnant or nursing due to risk of fetal or nursing infant harm; women of reproductive potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test within 7 days prior to registration; women/men of reproductive potential must have agreed to use an effective contraceptive method while on study and for 120 days after last study treatment; a woman is considered to be of "reproductive potential" if she has had menses at any time in the preceding 12 consecutive months; in addition to routine contraceptive methods, "effective contraception" also includes heterosexual celibacy and surgery intended to prevent pregnancy (or with a side-effect of pregnancy prevention) defined as a hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy or bilateral tubal ligation; however, if at any point a previously celibate patient chooses to become heterosexually active during the time period for use of contraceptive measures outlined in the protocol, he/she is responsible for beginning contraceptive measures