ESMO 2021 | Melanoma highlights from ESMO 2021

Omid Hamid, MD, The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, talks on key clinical trials in melanoma presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2021 congress. Firstly, the KEYNOTE-716 study (NCT03553836) evaluating the safety and efficacy of adjuvant therapy with pembrolizumab compared to placebo in resected high-risk stage II melanoma showed benefits in both recurrence-free survival and in distant metastasis-free survival for patients in the pembrolizumab arm. Secondly, the RELATIVITY-047 trial (NCT03470922) comparing relatlimab plus nivolumab versus nivolumab monotherapy in patients with previously untreated metastatic or unresectable melanoma showed a benefit in progression-free survival (PFS) for all patient subgroups in the combination treatment arm. Further overall survival (OS) and response rate (RR) data are eagerly awaited. Dr Hamid also comments on data presented from a Phase II study (NCT03999749) assessing the safety and tolerability of tocilizumab administered in combination with nivolumab and ipilimumab in patients with stage III/IV melanoma. This study reported a RR of 58% and a rate of 17% for grade 3 or 4 treatment-related toxicities. Furthermore, data on serum cytokines as predictors of toxicity and treatment response was also shared. The SECOMBIT clinical trial (NCT02631447) demonstrated that the best treatment sequencing strategy for BRAF-mutated melanoma patients was to treat with combination immunotherapy first and combination targeted therapy after progression on immunotherapy. Finally, Dr Hamid discusses early data on combination neoadjuvant therapy. Dr Hamid explains that these trials can help set standards for the treatment of other solid tumors. This interview took place at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2021 congress.