Dr. Postow on Immunotherapy Advancements in Melanoma

Michael A. Postow, MD, medical oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses some of the advancements that have recently taken place in immunotherapy in the field of melanoma.

Immunotherapy has become a major treatment for patients with metastatic melanoma, Postow explains. This goes beyond the PD-1 and CTLA-4 inhibitors such as nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy), respectively. There is a number of additional targets being tested alone or in combination in ongoing clinical trials. These are being conducted in order to use the immune system in new ways, he says.

At a discussion during the 13th Annual International Symposium on Melanoma and Other Cutaneous Malignancies® in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, Postow also discussed co-stimualtory molecules of a number of different targets that can enhance T-cell activity. Additionally, another approach involves reducing immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment to help the T cells fight the tumors more strongly, he adds.