Observation Is a Reasonable Alternative to Adjuvant PD-1 Blockade in Stage IIB/IIIC Melanoma
Source: OncLive, January 2025
Tara C. Mitchell, MD, discusses considerations and lingering questions regarding pre- and post-operative management strategies in stage IIB/IIIC melanoma.
Adjuvant PD-1 blockade is approved for patients with stage IIB/IIIA melanoma following curative-intent surgery; however, observation should be considered as a reasonable and tolerable alternative, given the lack of long-term survival data supporting adjuvant PD-1 inhibition in melanoma, according to Tara C. Mitchell, MD. She added that ongoing trials are also aiming to determine whether treatment with immunotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting could reduce recurrence risk and improve long-term outcomes for select patients.
In an interview with OncLive® regarding her presentation at the 21st Annual International Symposium on Melanoma and Other Cutaneous Malignancies, Mitchell highlighted the prognostic significance of sentinel lymph node status in determining recurrence risk for stage IIB/IIIA melanoma, discussed the ongoing investigation of and potential role for neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade, and emphasized the importance of shared decision-making when weighing adjuvant PD-1 inhibition against observation due to the lack of long-term survival data and potential toxicities.