Spartalizumab Plus Dabrafenib/Trametinib Impresses in BRAF+ Melanoma With Poor Prognosis
Source: OncLive, December 2019
A triplet combining the PD-1 inhibitor spartalizumab with dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) led to a 12-month overall survival (OS) rate of 86.1% for patients with previously untreated advanced BRAF V600–mutant melanoma, according to pooled findings from the phase III COMBI-i trial presented during the 16th International Congress of the Society for Melanoma Research.1
Furthermore, the 3-drug regimen showed promising efficacy in patients with elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels and stage IV M1c disease—populations that generally have poor outcomes.
“With that combination, we saw that everybody had some tumor reduction—which was incredible,” study co-author Georgina V. Long, MBBS, PhD, co-medical director of the Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) and chair of Melanoma Medical Oncology and Translational Research at MIA and Royal North Shore Hospital, stated in an interview with OncLive. “That does give us the idea that this triplet could be used in patients who have the poorest of poor prognosis, particularly when we saw that no one actually progressed, everyone had some tumor reduction or at least stable disease, and a very good response rate.”