Immunotherapy treatment in metastatic melanomas prolongs life for up to ten years

A recent study directed by the oncologist Jedd Wolchok, of the New York – Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, presented during the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) and published simultaneously in the magazine New England Journal of Medicine, has revealed significant advances in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. The discoveries show that almost half of the patients treated with immunotherapy survive cancer-free for a decade after the treatment, which represents an important achievement in the fight against this type of skin cancer.

Goal: sustained melanoma control

The follow-up study centred on patients who received a combination of inhibitors of immune controlpoints, a method of immunotherapy that allows the immune system to attack the tumour, overcoming the obstacles that this puts up to avoid being detected. The approach radically improved patient prognosis, prolonging their survival and maintaining the therapeutic effect for several years.  

Just fifteen years ago, survival of patients with metastatic melanoma was minimal, as there were no effective treatments to slow down its progression and the average life expectancy was just six months. Today, thanks to advances such as immunotherapy, a patient with this type of skin cancer can now live for over ten years.