Ipilimumab versus ipilimumab plus anti-PD-1 for metastatic melanoma

The multivariable analysis by Ines Pires da Silva and colleagues 1 Pires da Silva I Ahmed T Reijers ILM et al. Ipilimumab alone or ipilimumab plus anti-PD-1 therapy in patients with metastatic melanoma resistant to anti-PD-(L)1 monotherapy: a multicentre, retrospective, cohort study. Lancet Oncol. 2021; 22: 836-847 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (17) Google Scholar in The Lancet Oncology showed that in patients with anti-PD-(L)1-resistant metastatic melanoma, treatment with a combination of ipilimumab plus anti-PD-1 was associated with a significantly higher objective response rate and significantly longer overall survival than ipilimumab monotherapy, and that an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 was also associated with longer overall survival. Ipilimumab alone or ipilimumab plus anti-PD-1 therapy in patients with metastatic melanoma resistant to anti-PD-(L)1 monotherapy: a multicentre, retrospective, cohort studyIn patients who are resistant to anti-PD-(L)1, ipilimumab plus anti-PD-1 seemed to yield higher efficacy than ipilimumab with a higher objective response rate, longer progression-free, and longer overall survival, with a similar rate of grade 3–5 toxicity. Ipilimumab plus anti-PD-1 should be favoured over ipilimumab alone as a second-line immunotherapy for these patients with advanced melanoma. Full-Text PDF Ipilimumab versus ipilimumab plus anti-PD-1 for metastatic melanoma – Authors' replyMengqian Li concluded that in our study,1 the effect of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status on clinical outcomes was not elaborated on, nor was the better baseline ECOG performance status in the ipilimumab plus anti-PD-1 combination group compared with the monotherapy group made clear. However, we did a multivariable analysis adjusting for potential confounders and differences in baseline characteristics, as is standard for retrospective analyses of this kind. A specific exploratory analysis of the independent effect of important baseline factors would not provide additional insights, particularly given the well known weaknesses and biases of a retrospective study. Full-Text PDF