Dr. Long on the Rationale for the Phase 3 COMBI-i Trial in BRAF V600¬–Mutant Melanoma

Georgina Long, BSc, PhD, MBBS, FRACP, co-medical director, Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA), chair of Melanoma Medical Oncology and Translational Research, MIA and Royal North Shore Hospital, University of Sydney, discusses the rationale for the phase 3 COMBI-i trial in BRAF V600­–mutant melanoma.

The COMBI-i study evaluated the combination of spartalizumab, dabrafenib ​(Tafinlar), and trametinib ​(Mekinist), says Long. Findings from parts 1 and 2 of the phase 3 trial were presented during the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program and showed encouraging clinical activity and tolerability with the novel triplet. 

When using a BRAF inhibitor in combination with a MEK inhibitor, patient biopsies ​often show an influx of T cells within the first week of treatment​, Long explains.

Ultimately, this was the rationale behind the study, ​as the field wanted to determine whether the addition of immunotherapy would induce prolonged, durable responses in this patient population, Long concludes.