Women treated with checkpoint inhibitors for melanoma had different outcomes

Source: The Medical Progress, December 2021

A class of cancer immunotherapy called checkpoint inhibitors has revolutionized cancer treatment. It’s a new way to attack the disease by unleashing the immune system. However, not every patient benefits from the treatment, and it can cause severe, sometimes life-threatening, side effects in some. New research shows that one group of patients may be at greater risk. The results, published in JAMA Network Open December 2nd, show that women with advanced melanoma are twice as likely as men to die when treated with the same combination of checkpoint inhibitors.

“This is the first large population-based study that demonstrates a significant difference in outcomes for women treated with two checkpoint inhibitors at the same time,” says senior author on the study, Grace Lu-Yao, PhD, MPH associate director for Population Science at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center – Jefferson Health, and vice chair and professor in the Department of Medical Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University.

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