For example, studies have shown that treatment with nivolumab and ipilimumab (Yervoy), which blocks an immune checkpoint protein known as CTLA-4, is more effective than nivolumab alone for melanoma that has spread to the brain. Immune checkpoint inhibitor combinations have already proven to be more effective than single agents in several cancers. “This study shows us that there is potentially a new combination immunotherapy approach on the horizon that may be as efficacious, but with less toxicity.” Two Drugs Are Better Than One
Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, who was also involved in the trial. “For melanoma patients, this is wonderful news,” said Sunandana Chandra, M.D., a medical oncologist at the Robert H. Lipson reported, but less common than is seen with other immunotherapy combinations. Overall, the side effects were similar to those expected to be seen in patients being treated with checkpoint inhibitors, Dr. Serious side effects were more frequent in patients treated with both drugs, and more of these patients stopped treatment early than those treated with nivolumab alone. Those who received both immunotherapy drugs lived for a median of approximately 10 months without their cancer getting worse, compared with about 4 and half months for those treated only with nivolumab. The combination was tested as an initial, or first-line, treatment in the trial, which included more than 700 patients with advanced melanoma. “This is proof of principle that when you add other immune checkpoint inhibitors, you can activate antitumor immunity in ways that weren’t possible with just the existing ,” Dr. He presented the findings on June 6 at the virtual annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The study results were published January 6, 2022, by the New England Journal of Medicine. Lipson, M.D., of the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. The trial, called RELATIVITY-047, is the first large clinical study to show that targeting both LAG-3 and PD-1 can be an effective approach for treating patients with advanced melanoma, said the study’s lead investigator, Evan J. However, it has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use outside of clinical trials. Other drugs that target LAG-3 have been developed, but relatlimab is the furthest along in clinical research. Nivolumab blocks an immune checkpoint protein on T cells called PD-1 and is already broadly used to treat melanoma and many other cancer types. By blocking immune checkpoint proteins, which generally keep the immune responses from being too strong, immune checkpoint inhibitors restore the natural ability of T cells to attack cancer cells.
In a large clinical trial, people with advanced melanoma treated with nivolumab (Opdivo) and a new drug called relatlimab-which targets a protein called LAG-3-lived longer without their cancer getting worse than those treated only with nivolumab.īoth nivolumab and relatlimab are immune checkpoint inhibitors. People diagnosed with advanced melanoma may soon have a new treatment option that combines two immunotherapy drugs. Credit: Adapted from Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.
0 kommentar(er)
