Administration of ipilimumab to patients with advanced melanoma in combination with nivolumab leads to the reduction of neoplastic tumors in almost 60%. cases – reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago.
Melanoma is the most dangerous skin cancer and one of the most common cancers in general. International studies included 945 patients with advanced melanoma treated with ipilimumab and nivolumab. In 58 percent. cases, it was possible to stop the progression of the disease for almost a year (tumors decreased by at least a third) – so far no such high effectiveness has been recorded.
Cancer, which is an abnormally growing tissue, uses mechanisms that suppress the immune system to prevent it from attacking. Both ipilimumab and nivolumab are monoclonal antibodies. They unblock the immune system, which allows it to destroy cancer cells.
For the time being, it is not known how long the patients treated in this way can live, and it has not been explained why the therapy only helps some of them. The combination of drugs increases effectiveness, but at the same time increases the risk of side effects – such as feeling tired, rash and diarrhea. These symptoms appear in more than half of those treated, while in the case of ipilimumab alone – only in a quarter.
Treatment is currently very expensive – ipilimumab alone costs about £ 100 per year given intravenously every three months. Nivolumab must be administered every two weeks.
A number of companies are working on drugs with a similar mechanism of action. It is possible that they will also find application in the treatment of neoplasms other than melanoma.