Dr. Atkinson on When to Use Nivolumab Monotherapy Versus Nivolumab/Ipilimumab Combination

Victoria Atkinson, MD, of Princess Alexandra Hospital and Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation, Queensland, discusses long-term data from the phase III CheckMate-066 trial.

The trial looked at nivolumab alone or in combination with ipilimumab as a frontline treatment for patients with advanced melanoma. Both nivolumab alone and the combination improved survival when compared to dacarbazine.

To determine if patients should receive the combination or nivolumab alone, it is important to consider patient characteristics, says Atkinson. Patients who have a low burden of disease, who are more frail, or do not require a rapid response, should receive nivolumab alone, she explains. As a monotherapy nivolumab is well-tolerated with a response rate of over 40%.

Patients who need a rapid response should receive combination therapy, says Atkinson.

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