Immunotherapy improves long-term overall survival in patients with advanced melanoma, according to the results of a number of large international studies reported at ESMO 2024. “At ESMO 2024 we are seeing many studies in many different cancers showing that immunotherapy can work for a long time.”Results of a phase 3 trial of immunotherapy with an anti–programmed death (PD)-1–based therapy showed continued long-term survival benefit in patients with advanced melanoma. The melanoma-specific survival is very high in this group of patients.”Importantly, the long-term survival benefit with immunotherapy is also seen in routine clinical practice, outside clinical trials, Dr Donia continued. Results showed a statically-significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival with immunotherapy plus chemotherapy before surgery and continued immunotherapy after surgery; the five-year overall survival rate was 86.6 per cent in patients given immunotherapy and 81.2 per cent in the placebo group. The phase 3 NIAGARA study randomised patients to immunotherapy with durvalumab plus chemotherapy before radical cystectomy followed by continued immunotherapy or to only chemotherapy before surgery.

Source: Irish Independent November 18, 2024 22:41 UTC