In what at least one blogger calls "the first truly positive melanoma study within 30 years", results of a randomized, phase III study of the drug ipilimumab show that this fully human monoclonal antibody is the first agent to improve overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced, previously treated metastatic melanoma. Specifically, it improved OS by 34%.
While the headline sounds especially impressive, keep in mind that the average survival for patients with stage III/IV melanoma is between 6 to 9 months. In this study, patients receiving ipilimumab lived on average an additional 4 months.
By Ross Bonander
Source:
- HemOncToday
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