Melanoma patients’ immunotherapy regimen of nivolumab and relatlimab approved by FDA

24 Mar 2022 --- A “breakthrough” medication for patients with metastatic or melanoma, an aggressive kind of skin cancer, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The treatment was developed based on original research conducted at the US-based Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. The treatment consists of two immunotherapy agents – relatlimab (anti-LAG-3) and nivolumab (anti-PD-1) – which delayed time for cancer progression “significantly” more than nivolumab alone in a clinical trial.

“The FDA’s approval of this combination therapy is an exciting development for all of us in the melanoma community,” says Dr. Evan Lipson, co-author of the study and associate professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

“Our collaborative research with scientists and physicians worldwide has demonstrated that targeting LAG-3 effectively activates the immune system against cancer and has established the LAG-3 pathway as the third immune checkpoint pathway in history, after CTLA-4 and PD-1, for which blockade has a clinical benefit.”

Immunotherapy using checkpoint inhibitors works by preventing cancer from evading the body’s immune system by blocking specific proteins on cell surfaces. By inhibiting these checkpoints, the immune system can better fight and remove cancer.

Investigating effects of nivolumab and relatlimab
Nivolumab is an FDA-approved treatment for melanoma and other cancers by acting as a protein called PD-1. Meanwhile, relatlimab inhibits the signaling of an inhibitory protein on immune system T cells called LAG-3, restoring their anti-tumor function.

During the study, 714 patients with advanced and untreated melanoma were randomly assigned to receive either a combination of relatlimab and nivolumab or nivolumab alone.

Patients who got the combined treatment had a median progression-free survival of 10.2 months, much longer than those who received nivolumab alone, with a median progression-free survival of 4.6 months.

Additionally, patients getting combination therapy had a 48% progression-free survival rate, while those receiving nivolumab alone had a 37%.The FDA has authorized a new immunotherapy treatment for melanoma patients based on Johns Hopkins research.

Therefore, in patients with previously untreated metastatic or unresectable melanoma, inhibiting two immune checkpoints, LAG-3 and PD-1, gave a more considerable advantage in progression-free survival than inhibiting PD-1 alone.

Progression-free survival is when a patient does not experience the disease worsening during and after therapy.

Are vitamins effective against skin cancer?
Vitamin B3 consumption may help protect skin cells from the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, potentially protecting against skin cancer, according to research presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV).

Also, according to a UK-based University of Leeds study, vitamin D helps decrease the growth and spread of melanoma. 

Edited by Nicole Kerr