Outcomes With Postrecurrence Systemic Therapy Following Adjuvant Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment for Resected Melanoma...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunotherapy
• Melanoma Research

Background:

• Adjuvant nivolumab improved recurrence-free survival versus ipilimumab in resected stage IIIB-C/IV melanoma.
• Overall survival (OS) did not significantly differ between adjuvant nivolumab and ipilimumab in the CheckMate 238 trial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate progression-free survival (PFS) and OS following postrecurrence systemic therapy (SST).
• To compare outcomes based on the timing of recurrence (early vs. late) after adjuvant therapy.

Main Methods:

• Patients with resected stage IIIB-C/IV melanoma received adjuvant nivolumab or ipilimumab.
• Patients experiencing recurrence were assessed for PFS and OS from initiation of subsequent systemic therapy.
• Recurrence timing was categorized as early (≤12 months) or late (>12 months) from initial therapy.

Main Results:

• Later recurrence (>12 months) was associated with longer median PFS and OS on subsequent therapy for nivolumab-treated patients.
• Patients with early recurrence on nivolumab showed better survival outcomes with ipilimumab-based regimens or targeted therapy compared to anti-PD-1 monotherapy.
• Nivolumab-treated patients with either early or late recurrence had similar OS when treated with ipilimumab-based therapy or targeted therapy.

Conclusions:

• Postrecurrence survival is significantly longer for patients with late recurrence (>12 months).
• For patients with early recurrence after nivolumab, ipilimumab-based or targeted therapies offer superior survival compared to anti-PD-1 monotherapy.