Survival Benefit Observed With Adjuvant Cemiplimab in Skin Cancer Subtype
Source: Cancer Network, October 2023
Results presented at 2023 ESMO showed a prolonged survival benefit in patients receiving adjuvant cemiplimab for stage II-IV cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
Patients with resectable stage II-IV cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) given adjuvant cemiplimab (Libtayo) had an increased survival benefit of over a year, according to a presentation from the 2023 European Society of Medical Oncology Congress (ESMO).
These data included 1-year follow up of a single-arm, multicenter phase 2 study (NCT04154943) that looked at the use of cemiplimab therapy after surgery. A year ago, researchers published data for 79 patients given neoadjuvant cemiplimab prior to surgery, which showed the first part of the study met its primary endpoint with 40 patients (51%; 95% CI, 39%-62%) achieving a pathological complete response (pCR) and 10 patients (13%; 95% CI, 6%-22%) who achieved a major pathological response (MPR).2 Now, researchers found that after a year and a half of follow up after surgery and adjuvant therapy, all 40 patients who achieved a pCR did not have disease recurrence, while just 1 patient who had an MPR recurred.