Dr. Schenk on the Effect of Nivolumab Plus Relatlimab in Basal Cell Carcinoma

Kara M. Schenk, MD, a fellow at Johns Hopkins University, discusses the effect of nivolumab plus relatlimab (Opdualag) in advanced basal cell carcinoma.

An ongoing phase 2 trial (NCT03521830) is evaluating the efficacy of nivolumab (Opdivo) monotherapy vs nivolumab in combination with relatlimab or ipilimumab (Yervoy) in patients with locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic basal cell carcinoma.

Data presented at the 2022 ESMO Congress showed that treatment-naïve patients administered nivolumab alone achieved an overall response rate (ORR) of 56%, Schenk explains. Patients who enrolled early in the study have 2 years of evaluable date, and responses have continued beyond the completion of treatment, Schenk adds.

Patients that were anti–PD-1 refractory experienced an ORR of 20% with the combination ofnivolumab plus relatlimab, Schenk continues. Because this is a heavy correlative biomarker study, investigators are conducting biopsies between 2 to 12 weeks, aiming to understand who may respond, Schenk emphasizes. Investigators have seen correlation of residual viable tumor underneath the microscope as a predictor of response, Schenk concludes.