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A groundbreaking trial has shown that more than half of patients diagnosed with advanced melanoma now survive at least 10 years when treated with a combination of two immunotherapy drugs.
According to a report on The Guardian, the combined therapy has dramatically improved survival rates for a cancer that once had a bleak outlook, with some patients now living long enough to die from other causes.
Fifteen years ago, only one in 20 advanced melanoma patients survived beyond five years, with many dying within six to nine months after diagnosis. Today, the outlook has changed.
“The definition of cure is to return someone to their normal life expectancy for their age and state of health,” said James Larkin, a medical oncologist at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and professor at the Institute of Cancer Research. “Some patients appear cured—they’re back to their normal lives.”
Melanoma cases in the UK are rising, with over 20,000 expected to be diagnosed this year, largely driven by increased UV exposure in older populations. Despite this, most cases are preventable.
The trial involved 945 patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, using two immune checkpoint inhibitors, ipilimumab and nivolumab, which work by boosting the immune system’s ability to attack cancer cells. At 10 years, 52% of patients treated with both drugs had survived the disease.
“The results are remarkable,” Larkin said, noting that many conventional cancer drugs lose effectiveness over time, while immune checkpoint inhibitors offer longer-lasting responses.
Presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology in Barcelona and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study marks the longest follow-up for patients receiving these drugs. It provides crucial insight into the treatment’s duration, overall survival rates, and side effects. While some patients experienced early side effects, no new problems emerged over time, and those who had to stop treatment early due to adverse reactions still benefited from the therapy.
Lucy Davis, 47, joined the trial after her melanoma progressed to stage 4. Initially told she had only months to live, Davis said, “Three months into the trial, I felt completely different.” More than a decade later, she has been able to watch her children grow up.
Despite the encouraging results, a significant number of patients still do not respond to the treatment. Researchers are now focusing on understanding why.
Dr. Sam Godfrey, science lead at Cancer Research UK, called the findings “promising” and emphasized the importance of continued research to improve cancer survival rates further.
[Information sourced from The Guardian]
