Dr. Robert Andtbacka on the Benefits of Neoadjuvant Therapy in Patients With Melanoma
Instead of adjuvant treatment, Andtbacka suggests treating patients with melanoma in the neoadjuvant setting. The benefit of neoadjuvant treatment versus adjuvant treatment is that oncologists can see the effect on the tumor, as well as perform biopsies and be able to determine changes in the tumor to develop certain biomarkers.
Robert Andtbacka, MD, associate professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine, discusses the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy for patients with melanoma after resection. Andtbacka says the standard of care is interferon, with biochemotherapy also being offered or ipilimumab. Despite this, Andtbacka says these treatments do not work as well as oncologists would hope, and a different approach to activate the immune system is needed.
