Dr. Moyers on Real-World Data With Adjuvant Immunotherapy in Melanoma

Justin Moyers, MD, a fellow in hematology and oncology at Loma Linda University Cancer Center, discusses real-world data and sociodemographic factors from an early analysis of the National Cancer Database (NCDB) associated with the treatment of adjuvant immunotherapy in stage III melanoma.

At the 2020 AACR Virtual Annual Meeting II, survival curves and demographic data from the database were presented, says Moyers. As there has only been approximately 2 to 3 years of follow-up for these patients in the NCDB, landmark 24-month survival was studied in patients with all stages of disease. Additionally, since median survival data could be reported specifically for patients with stage IIIC disease, those results were also presented. The 24-month survival for all-comers was 83% for immunotherapy received versus 80% for immunotherapy not given, which was close to being statistically significant with a P value of .051.

The 24-month survival data by substages were also reported, adds Moyers. Patients with stage IIIC disease who received adjuvant immunotherapy had a statistically significant improvement in survival compared with those who did not receive the treatment, at 70% versus 59%, respectively (P <.01). Although survival rates were still higher in those with stage IIIA and stage IIIB disease who received immunotherapy after surgery, the benefit did not reach statistical significance. The rates for immunotherapy-treated patients with stage IIIA and stage IIIB disease were 94% and 84%, respectively, versus 91% and 81%, respectively, for those who did not receive the treatment.

Furthermore, the overall survival of patients with stage IIIC disease was estimated to be 32.8 months for those who received adjuvant immunotherapy versus 28.0 months for those who did not receive immunotherapy. It is important to note that these are early data and a more precise estimation is expected in the future, concludes Moyers.