A combination immunotherapy with two drugs, relatlimab y nivolumabimprove outcomes in the treatment of patients with surgically resectable advanced melanoma, according to preliminary results of a phase 2 clinical trial published in Nature.
Conducted by researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (USA), the study, although with a small sample, provides new evidence of the efficacy and safety of this new combination therapy for the most difficult advanced forms of the disease to treat
“With stage III melanoma, the risk of the cancer coming back after surgery can be as high as 50%,” recalls the trial’s lead author, Rodab Amaria. “Our findings support the combination of relatlimab and nivolumab as a safe and effective treatment option for stage III melanoma.”
Relatlimab is a new immune checkpoint inhibitor that blocks LAG-3, which is found on the surface of T cells, while nivolumab is a PD-1 inhibitor. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the combination for stage IV melanoma in March 2022 following the results of the RELATIVITY-047 study published in “The New England Journal of Medicine” in January 2022. 2022.
This trial enrolled 30 patients who received two doses of neoadjuvant relatlimab and nivolumab, followed by surgery, and 10 doses of the same combination in the adjuvant setting.
After a median follow-up of 24.4 months in the 29 patients who underwent surgery, the recurrence-free survival rate was 97% at one year and 82% at two years.
The results are favorable relative to two earlier study arms, which evaluated nivolumab alone or in combination with the CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab.
With stage III melanoma, the risk of the cancer coming back after surgery can be as high as 50%.
Rodab Amaria
MD Cancer Anderson Center
“We want to provide patients with a treatment option that will help reduce the risk of the cancer coming back after surgery. Our data complement the results of the RELATIVITY-047 study and provide further evidence to support the use of this combination in melanoma,” says Amaria.
However, the authors conclude that although the study sample size is small and more research will be needed to determine the long-term clinical impact, these early data are encouraging. “Combined with the results of previous trials, these findings may provide evidence for the value of using pathologic response rates as early predictors of potential long-term benefits of treatment.”