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Updated: Feb 3, 2026
07:07
A Melanoma Patient-Derived Xenograft Model
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Immunotherapy With Programmed Cell Death 1 Inhibitors for 5 Patients With Conjunctival Melanoma.
Oded Sagiv1, Sudip D Thakar1, Thomas J Kandl1
1Orbital Oncology and Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery, Department of Plastic Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.
JAMA Ophthalmology
|October 24, 2018
Summary
Anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) therapy shows promise for metastatic conjunctival melanoma. Four of five patients achieved complete response, though some experienced side effects like autoimmune colitis.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunotherapy
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Conjunctival melanoma can metastasize, necessitating novel treatments for advanced cases.
- Effective therapies are urgently needed for metastatic or locally advanced conjunctival melanoma.
Observation:
- A retrospective review analyzed 5 adult patients with conjunctival melanoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors between 2013 and 2017.
- Four patients received nivolumab (a PD-1 inhibitor), and one received pembrolizumab (another PD-1 inhibitor).
Findings:
- Four patients treated with nivolumab achieved a complete response, with no evidence of disease at multiple follow-up points.
- One patient on pembrolizumab had stable disease initially but later progressed.
- Two patients on nivolumab developed autoimmune colitis, requiring cessation of immunotherapy and further management.
Implications:
- Anti-PD-1 therapy appears effective for metastatic conjunctival melanoma.
- Further research is needed to establish long-term disease-free survival.
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors may potentially avoid the need for orbital exenteration in select locally advanced cases.
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