Neoadjuvant immunotherapy with relatlimab and nivolumab is safe and effective in stage III melanoma
Source: Science Daily, October 2022
Giving the combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors relatlimab and nivolumab to patients with stage III melanoma before surgery was safe and completely cleared all viable tumor in 57% of patients in a Phase II study, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported in Nature today.
In addition to meeting the primary endpoint of pathologic complete response (pCR), the overall pathologic response rate (up to 50% of viable tumor left at the time of surgery) was 70%. No patients had grade 3 or 4 immune-related adverse events (IRAEs) in the neoadjuvant (pre-surgery) setting or confirmed toxicity-related surgical delays.
“With clinical stage III melanoma, the risk that the cancer comes back after surgery can be as high as 50%. One of the goals of neoadjuvant immunotherapy is to reduce the chance of recurrence by evaluating treatments in earlier stage, operable disease that have been successful for stage IV melanoma," said lead/corresponding author Rodabe Amaria, M.D., associate professor of Melanoma Medical Oncology. “Our findings support the combination of relatlimab and nivolumab as a safe and effective treatment option in the neoadjuvant setting for stage III melanoma."