Can immune therapy improve survival in advanced melanoma?

This study looked at the effects after stopping immune therapy in patients with advanced melanoma. They found that responses to treatment lasted long after treatment was stopped.

Stage 3 or 4 melanoma refers to a tumor that has spread to lymph nodes or distant organs. At this advanced stage, the cancer usually cannot be removed by surgery, but there are other treatments available. These treatments activate the patient’s immune system so that it can fight the tumor. One of these treatments is called anti-PD1 therapy. 

Anti-PD1 therapy can improve survival in patients with advanced melanoma. However, it is not yet known how long the effects of this treatment last after stopping treatment. 

This study involved 396 patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma. These patients were treated with anti-PD1 therapy using pembrolizumab (Keytruda) or nivolumab (Opdivo). They were followed up for at least 3 months after stopping treatment. The average follow-up was 28.9 months. The response to treatment was determined by reviewing the patients’ scans.  A complete response to treatment was defined as having no signs of cancer after treatment.

On average patients received 8 doses of anti-PD1 treatment over almost 5 months. 25.8% of patients had a complete response to treatment. Another 23.5% had some improvement with treatment but not a complete response. Of the patients who had a complete response, 72.1% survived without needing further treatment for the next 3 years. 82.7% of these patients were estimated to be alive after 3 years.

19.7% of the 396 patients who stopped anti-PD1 therapy ended up needing further treatment. Of these patients, 14.7% responded to further treatment with ant-PD1, while 25% responded to treatment with anti-PD1 and another form of immune treatment such as ipilimumab (Yervoy).

This study found that 1 in 4 patients with advanced melanoma responded very well to immune treatment. Those patients that responded very well had a very good chance of surviving without further treatment for the next 3 years.

This study is based on medical records. Some data was missing. More studies are needed.

Speak to your physician about the role of immune therapy in improving survival in advanced melanoma.