Kevin B. Kim, MD, medical oncology, California Pacific Medical Center, discusses T-VEC as a treatment option for melanoma.

Kim says T-VEC is an interesting approach to treating the disease. It has shown promising outcomes in studies, he adds, including a phase III trial in which it demonstrated a significant improvement in overall survival, close to the 

T-VEC's concept of breaking up the tumor and releasing the tumor antigen is effective, Kim explains, because it will "wake up" the immune system.

Though he questions T-VEC's efficacy as a single agent, Kim is interested in seeing if it will show higher efficacy when combined with ipilimumab or a PD-1 antibody.

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Dr. Kevin Kim on T-VEC in Melanoma

Kevin B. Kim, MD, medical oncology, California Pacific Medical Center, discusses how treatment outcomes in melanoma have evolved over the last few years.

For patients with metastatic melanoma in the past, Kim says that trial results with chemotherapy showed an overall survival (OS) rate of 6-9 months, with a maximum of 12 months. Today, OS for a patient receiving targeted therapy or immunotherapy is at least 2 years.

Kim believes there are currently more patients with metastatic melanoma alive at the 3- and 5-year mark of diagnosis because of these advances.

Future studies will show more data regarding long-term control for patients with melanoma.

Kevin B. Kim, MD

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Dr. Kevin Kim on T-VEC in Melanoma

Dr. Kim on Evolution of Treatment Outcomes in Melanoma