Source: OncLive, May 2025
Oncolytic immunotherapeutic regimens, such as the oncolytic virus RP1 plus nivolumab (Opdivo), may offer a clinically meaningful option for patients with melanoma experiencing primary resistance to anti–PD-1 therapy, with the added advantage of preserving eligibility for future tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL)–based therapeutic approaches, according to Nikhil Khushalani, MD. Successful integration of this strategy into clinical practice, however, will depend on multidisciplinary coordination and patient-specific treatment planning, he noted.
Topline results from the phase 2 IGNYTE trial (NCT03767348), released in June 2024, demonstrated that RP1 combined with nivolumab elicited an objective response rate (ORR) of 33.6% by modified RECIST 1.1 criteria and 32.9% by RECIST 1.1 criteria per independent central review in patients with melanoma who progressed on prior anti–PD-1 therapy (n = 156).1 All responses lasted over 6 months, with a median duration of response (DOR) exceeding 35 months. These findings expanded on investigator-assessed data presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting, in which the overall study population (n = 156) achieved an ORR of 32.7%, including a complete response (CR) rate of 14.7%.