The combination of ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab (Opdivo) showed a 42% improvement in overall survival (OS) compared with ipilimumab monotherapy for patients with advanced melanoma in a 2-year assessment of the phase II CheckMate-069 trial, announced Michael Postow, MD, at the 2016 AACR Annual Meeting.
MRV Research
Drug seems to extend survival for advanced melanoma patients
(HealthDay)—More than one-third of advanced melanoma patients were still alive five years after starting therapy with the cancer drug nivolumab (Opdivo), researchers are reporting.
Pembrolizumab increases survival in advanced melanoma
A recent study sought to characterize the association of pembrolizumab with tumor response and overall survival among patients with advanced melanoma. Researchers, led by Antoni Ribas, MD, of University of California, Los Angeles, studied 655 adults in Australia, Canada, France, and the United States for the open-label, multicohort Phase Ib trial.
Melanoma Study in Mice Finds a Macrophage Group with Unusual Ability to Protect Against Cancer Progression
Massachusetts General Hospital researchers working in a mouse model of melanoma found that a specific type of immune cell — called subcapsular sinus (SCS) macrophages — forms a protective coat around lymph nodes to prevent cancer tissue invasion and to protect against tumor progression. But the coating is temporary, breaking down as tumors develop and under certain chemotherapy and immune therapy drugs.