ESMO 2022 | Pre-treatment ctDNA linked to increased risk of early recurrence in IO-treated melanoma

Georgina Long, BSc, PhD, MBBS, FRACP, FAHMS, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, discusses the association of post-resection pre-treatment ctDNA with disease recurrence and clinical transformation in patients with stage IIIB-D/IV melanoma treated with adjuvant immunotherapy. A retrospective evaluation of the Phase III CheckMate 915 (NCT03068455) trial was carried out on the ctDNA status and levels of post-resection pre-treatment plasma of 1127 patients with stage IIIB-D/IV resected melanoma treated with nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus nivolumab alone. Pre-treatment ctDNA prevalence was approximately 16% overall and was associated with an increased risk of recurrence. ctDNA prevalence was observed to be higher in stage III subsets of melanoma. Conclusively, ctDNA was demonstrated as a useful biomarker for predicting outcome for adjuvant melanoma. This interview took place at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2022 Congress in Paris, France.