The immunotherapeutic combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab prolonged PFS among patients with advanced melanoma regardless of age, presence of metastases or BRAF status, according to phase 3 study results presented at the European Cancer Congress.
Conferences
Dabrafenib/Trametinib Combo Improves OS Versus Vemurafenib in Advanced Melanoma
The combination of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) plus trametinib (Mekinist) improved overall survival (OS) by 7.6 months compared with single-agent vemurafenib (Zelboraf) in patients with unresectable or metastatic BRAFV600E/K-mutant melanoma, according to a 2-year analysis of the phase III COMBI-v study presented at the 2015 European Cancer Congress.
Successful Outcome of PD-1 Immunotherapy for Melanoma May Be Predicted By New Protein Marker
A new study conducted by Mayo Clinic researchers, and recently presented at the American Association for Cancer Research International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference in New York City, highlights the correlation between the presence of a protein marker (Bim) and PD-1 blockade therapy, which may predict treatment success.
Immuno-Oncology — The Year’s News In Science
In 2014, many of the most encouraging studies of checkpoint blockade went public at the annual ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) meeting. This year, even more positive studies of new checkpoint inhibitors were reported, along with a few other cancer-immunotherapy contenders, most of them at either ASCO in May or the AACR (American Association for Cancer Research) annual meeting in April.