Clinical Trials

A longer-term follow-up of a study evaluating fianlimab, an anti-LAG-3 agent, and cemiplimab (Libtayo), an anti-PD-1 agent, is being presented as a poster at this year’s European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress.

In an analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Georgina V. Long, PhD, MBBS, and colleagues performed an indirect comparison of outcomes with first-line nivolumab/relatlimab vs nivolumab/ipilimumab for advanced melanoma using patient-level data from trials supporting approval of the two regimens: RELATIVITY-047 and CheckMate 067, respectively. No direct comparisons of the regimens in this setting have been reported previously.

The addition of ipilimumab (Yervoy) to nivolumab and relatlimab-rmbw (Opdualag) has generated high response rates and promising survival outcomes as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced melanoma in the phase 1/2 RELATIVITY-048 trial (NCT03459222), signifying the viability of triplet checkpoint blockade for this patient population, according to Ankit Mangla, MD. However, larger studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of this approach for use in the frontline setting.

The recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of lifileucel, the first commercial tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy for advanced melanoma, marks a significant breakthrough in cancer therapy. In a new commentary published in Cancer Cell, Moffitt Cancer Center scientists provide a comprehensive overview of the therapy’s development and highlight its transformative potential.