Nivolumab Shows Long-Term Survival Benefit in Advanced Melanoma

For individuals battling advanced melanoma, combining nivolumab with ipilimumab or using nivolumab alone offers a significant survival advantage over using ipilimumab alone. This insight comes from a study recently published online in the New England Journal of Medicine, timed to coincide with the annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology held in Barcelona, Spain.

Jedd D. Wolchok, M.D., Ph.D., from the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center in New York City, led the research team. They conducted a randomized trial involving patients with previously untreated melanoma. These patients were assigned to one of three treatment groups: nivolumab plus ipilimumab every three weeks for four doses, followed by nivolumab every two weeks; nivolumab every two weeks plus a placebo; or ipilimumab every three weeks for four doses plus a placebo, with a 1:1:1 distribution.

The study revealed that the median overall survival times for patients were 71.9 months for the nivolumab plus ipilimumab group, 36.9 months for the nivolumab group, and 19.9 months for the ipilimumab group, with at least a 10-year follow-up period. The hazard ratio for death was found to be 0.53 for the combination therapy and 0.63 for nivolumab alone when compared to ipilimumab. Furthermore, the median melanoma-specific survival was greater than 120 months for the combination therapy, 49.4 months for nivolumab, and 21.9 months for ipilimumab.

The study also highlighted the long-term benefits: for patients alive and progression-free at the three-year mark, the 10-year melanoma-specific survival rates were 96 percent for the combination therapy, 97 percent for nivolumab, and 88 percent for ipilimumab. These findings underline the significant impact that immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy has had on improving the long-term outlook for advanced melanoma patients, and they suggest the potential for a cure in responsive patients.

The authors of the study have noted several disclosures, including connections to biopharmaceutical companies such as Bristol Myers Squibb, the manufacturer of nivolumab and the funder of this study.