Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Mar;22(1A):61-67.
doi: 10.5114/wo.2018.73889. Epub 2018 Mar 5.

Immunotherapy of melanoma

Iwona Lugowska  1 , Pawel Teterycz  1 , Piotr Rutkowski  1
Affiliations

Immunotherapy of melanoma

Iwona Lugowska et al. Contemp Oncol (Pozn). 2018 Mar.

Abstract

The immunotherapy is currently changing the landscape of oncology. Nowadays the standard of care in metastatic or unresectable melanoma patients include immunomodulating modalities such as anti-PD-1 drugs (nivolumab, pembrolizumab) and anti-CTLA-4 antibody ipilimumab. The improvements of progression free survival and overall survival connected with those treatments were unprecedented and have been confirmed in stage III trials. The efficacy of immunotherapy in metastatic setting can be further upgraded in some groups of patients by combining both types of antibodies. Latest clinical data suggest that treatment with immunotherapy can be also favorable for patients in adjuvant setting. Other treatment approaches based on immunological response (e.g. oncolytic viruses or adoptive cell therapy) have been proven useful in specific clinical situations. The future of melanoma treatment is still evolving, new molecular targets are being invented and hopefully current endeavors will led to further improvement of patients' survival. This review aims to summarize current state of immunotherapy in melanoma and identifying possible directions of development.

Keywords: ipilimumab; melanoma; nivolumab; pembrolizumab.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Ascierto PA, Melero I, Bhatia S, et al. Initial efficacy of anti-lymphocyte activation gene-3 (anti–LAG-3; BMS-986016) in combination with nivolumab (nivo) in pts with melanoma (MEL) previously treated with anti–PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. J Clin Oncol. 2017;35(15 suppl):9520..
    1. Grinspan D, Paz A, Abulafia J, Mosto S. Melanoma (Hutchinson’s lentigo maligna) having spontaneous regression. A case of immunologic importance. Med Cutan Ibero Lat Am. 1980;8:33–45. - PubMed
    1. Nathanson null. Spontaneous regression of malignant melanoma: a review of the literature on incidence, clinical features, and possible mechanisms. Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. 1976;44:67–76. - PubMed
    1. Atkins MB, Lotze MT, Dutcher JP, et al. High-dose recombinant interleukin 2 therapy for patients with metastatic melanoma: analysis of 270 patients treated between 1985 and 1993. J Clin Oncol. 1999;17:2105–16. - PubMed
    1. Atkins MB, Kunkel L, Sznol M, Rosenberg SA. High-dose recombinant interleukin-2 therapy in patients with metastatic melanoma: long-term survival update. Cancer J Sci Am. 2000;6(Suppl 1):S11–14. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources