Dr. Ott Discusses Ipilimumab and Nivolumab in Melanoma

Patrick Ott, MD, PhD, clinical director, Melanoma Center, Center for Immuno-Oncology, physician, assistant professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab (Opdivo) both in combination and as a monotherapy for patients with melanoma.

There have been a number of changes to the field of melanoma over the last year, explains Ott. The combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab for patients with brain metastases has shown substantial response rates of more than 50%. Without radiation, patients had remarkable benefit from the combination treatment, Ott says.

Ipilimumab and nivolumab are also being investigated as an adjuvant monotherapy. Data from a phase III trial demonstrated a recurrence-free survival benefit with nivolumab monotherapy in patients with stage III and stage IV resected melanoma.