Dr. Ribas on Triplet Regimens in Melanoma

Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, professor of Hematology and Oncology and director of the Tumor Immunology Program Area at UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses triplet therapies for patients with melanoma and the sequencing challenges associated with the approvals of additional agents in the field.

Though current immunotherapy regimens are showing significant activity in patients, Ribas says the response rate is not 100%; therefore, there needs to be investigations of other ways to modulate the immune system. Patients who benefit from PD-1 monotherapy should not receive any more, as it will lessen treatment-related toxicities, he adds.

However, the majority of patients will require multiple-drug regimens, or sequential use of different agents, to elicit more durable responses. Future research will be able to demonstrate the optimal sequence of these various agents.