Huge Milestone In Skin Cancer Treatment

Ten years ago, many patients with advanced melanoma died within six-nine months of diagnosis, with only about one in twenty surviving the disease. If caught early on, patients have a good chance of survival, but with time, the cancer becomes more aggressive and metastatic, and mortality rates fall sharply.
Now, results from a new trial has demonstrated that two immune-boosting drugs, ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab (Opdivo), when taken together, helps the immune system of patients to distinguish and destroy the cancerous cells, thus stopping or reversing progression of advanced melanoma. The study, led by the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, found that 52% patients survived, and 74% of them became treatment-free after five years.
In the research study, one group of patients, comprising of 314 participants, were given both nivolumab and ipilimumab, while another group of 316 test subjects was given nivolumab plus a placebo, and a third group of 315 received ipilimumab along with a placebo. The survival rate for the first group was over 52%, while the overall survival for the nivolumab group was 44%, and 26% for the ipilimumab group.
Professor James Larkin, consultant medical oncologist at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation, hailed the result as a “huge milestone”. He stated, “Oncologists considered melanoma different to other cancers; it couldn’t be treated once it had spread.” Significantly, the researchers found that even in those who stopped treatment due to side-effects like and diarrhea, fatigue, and skin rashes, the result was as good as for those on the combination for longer periods. Dr. Larkin concluded, “The two drugs together definitely have a role in treating metastatic melanoma and will be the choice for some patients. For others, the decision may be to give the drugs in sequence.”
The Telegraph, Sept 28, 2019, https://urlzs.com/km9Et