Dr. Long on Rationale for Nivolumab/Ipilimumab in Patients With Melanoma Who Have Brain Mets

Source: OncLive, December 2019

Georgina V. Long, BSc, PhD, MBBS, FRACP, co-medical director of Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA), chair of Melanoma Medical Oncology and Translational Research at MIA and Royal North Shore Hospital, University of Sydney, discusses the rationale for the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) in patients with melanoma who have brain metastases.

Patients with melanoma brain metastases, approximately 20% to 25% of the overall population of patients with advanced disease, have a poor prognosis, says Long. Despite this, they are often excluded from clinical trials. This unmet need served as the basis for a phase II trial (NCT02374242), in which investigators evaluated the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab versus nivolumab alone in patients with previously untreated melanoma and brain metastases, explains Long.