Melody Watson

The addition of T-VEC (T-VEC; Imlygic), a herpes simplex virus 1-based oncolytic virus, to CTLA-4 inhibitor ipilimumab (Yervoy) improves the objective response rate in patients with unresected stage IIIb to IV melanoma.

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) provides a long-term survival benefit in both ipilimumab-naïve and ipilimumab-treated patients with advanced melanoma.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors against PD-1 and PD-L1 are showing promise across clinical trials for patients with Merkel cell carcinoma.

Monotherapy with potent BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib (Tafinlar) resulted in a disease control rate of 83% in patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma and brain metastases.

Treatment with ipilimumab has been shown to improve overall survival; however, this efficacy often comes with toxicity.

Several clinical trials are examining the use of adjuvant PD-1 inhibition for patients with melanoma, with a potential new standard of care on the horizon for those at high risk of recurrence following resection.