Melanoma Treatment Advances: Fianlimab and Cemiplimab Show Promise

A longer-term follow-up of a study evaluating fianlimab, an anti-LAG-3 agent, and cemiplimab (Libtayo), an anti-PD-1 agent, is being presented as a poster at this year's European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress. Meredith McKean, MD, director of melanoma and skin cancer research at the Sarah cannon Research Institute in Nashville, TN, discusses findings from this analysis.

Investigators observed that the combination therapy achieved a 57% overall response rate with a median progression-free survival of 24 months. Immune-mediated adverse events were similar to those seen with PD-1 monotherapy. Further, a significant number of patients maintained responses for over a year, with some completing 2 years of treatment, and the combination therapy was effective regardless of PD-L1 or LAG-3 expression levels.

Overall, fianlimab and cemiplimab demonstrated promising efficacy and safety in patients with melanoma, suggesting it may be a valuable treatment option.

Transcription:

0:05 | The initial analysis was presented at [the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting] in 2023. There were 3 different cohorts that were evaluated: the initial frontline cohort in the metastatic melanoma setting, and patients that were anti-PD-1 naive, and there was a confirmatory cohort of additional patients, and then a third cohort of patients that had previously received either neoadjuvant or adjuvant anti-PD-1.

0:29 | And so in those initial results presented last year, we saw response rates between 56 to 63%. This additional follow-up, with a median follow up of 23 months for patients, we saw with the evaluation of the blinded independent central review, we saw a relatively preserved objective response rate of 57%, and we really saw ongoing durability of those initial responses that patients had. Additionally, the complete response rate was 25% and so we saw that deepening with time, which is really, really exciting for our patients.