An Instinct for Innovation Drives Robert’s Melanoma Research

Source: OncLive, October 2019

For patients with melanoma, hope lies at the dermatology unit of Institut Gustave Roussy, located in the Paris suburb of Villejuif, France, and considered one of the world’s foremost cancer research centers. There, Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, head of the Dermatology Unit, has made her mark in advancing groundbreaking melanoma clinical research utilizing immunotherapy. Under her leadership, the unit has conducted large-scale international clinical trials, involving more than 800 patients at times, whose results have been astonishing in the field of metastatic melanoma. Some patients have survived beyond 6 years without relapse.

“It’s an extremely exciting field,” Robert said. “I feel very lucky to be working here and now.”

Robert is known for her active participation in clinical trials evaluating the antibodies aimed at the immune checkpoints CTLA-4 and PD-1. Three immunotherapy drugs are now approved for melanoma: the CTLA-4 inhibitor ipilimumab (Yervoy) and the PD-1 inhibitors pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and nivolumab (Opdivo).