New Checkpoint Inhibitor Immunotherapy Treatment for Advanced Melanoma Shows Promise
Source: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, October 2022
When Nancy Schroeder found out her melanoma had spread to her lymph nodes four years after she’d had surgery from a local dermatologist near her home in Florida, she knew she needed to go to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) to benefit from the latest research and newest therapies. During her first appointment at MSK, she learned about a clinical trial that was testing an experimental advanced melanoma immunotherapy given before surgery.
“I was thrilled to hear about the trial,” Nancy says. “To me, it made so much sense. I was excited to be able to participate.” Today, more than two years after completing her treatment, Nancy, now 70, has no signs of cancer.
Findings from the study, a phase 2 trial, were published October 26, 2022, in Nature. The paper reports that for certain patients with advanced (stage 3 or stage 4) melanoma, a combination of the immunotherapy drugs nivolumab (Opdivo®) and relatlimab (Opdualag™) given before surgery (called neoadjuvant treatment) prevented the disease from coming back. About two-thirds had a major response to the drugs. After an average of two years, most patients remain cancer free.