Neoadjuvant immunotherapy gaining favor for metastatic melanoma, says Dr. Sznol

Dr. Mario Sznol discussed current guidance on using neoadjuvant therapy for patients with advanced melanoma.

Patients who have active nodal disease detected by imaging or physical exam are now viewed as strong candidates for treatment before surgery.

Emerging evidence indicates that the combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab may produce better outcomes than anti‑PD‑1 monotherapy and possibly better than targeted therapy, although many supporting trials are not fully randomized.

Sznol highlighted the phase 2 SWOG S1801 trial (NCT03698019), which compared neoadjuvant immunotherapy followed by surgery with the traditional approach of surgery first and adjuvant anti‑PD‑1 therapy.