AMSTERDAM—The 2013 European Cancer Congress heard that new treatments could extend survival in patients with advanced and metastatic melanoma greatly beyond what has been the norm. Dr. Dirk Schadendor
AMSTERDAM—The 2013 European Cancer Congress heard that new treatments could extend survival in patients with advanced and metastatic melanoma greatly beyond what has been the norm.
Dr. Dirk Schadendorf MD from Essen University Hospital in Germany and Dr. Stephen Hodi Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston MA, explain how ipilimumab — one of several new “game-changer” drugs — demonstrated a “plateau” of overall survival – with nearly a quarter of patients living many years, functionally cured.
Dr. Keith Flaherty MD, Director of Developmental Therapeutics at the Center for Melanoma, Massachusetdts General Hospital, reported data showing that progression free survival is a good surrogate for overall survival in studies of metastatic melanoma. He suggested this should speed up the process of conducting studies.
Dr Michele Maio MD, PhD, Director of Medical Oncology and Immunotherapy at University Hospital, Siena, Italy, reported the doubling of five-year overall survival in patients randomised to receive ipilimumab added to their standard dacarbazine thereapy for advanced melanoma.
Commenting about these presentations at the ECC Professor Cora Sternberg, Chief of Medical Oncology at the San Camillo and Forlanini Hospitals, in Rome, emphasized the significance of increased patient survival reported in these studies.