In a conversation with the OncLive On Air podcast, Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Professor of Oncology in the Department of Medicine and deputy director of NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, discussed highlights of melanoma research presented at the 2021 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Among the studies Dr. Weber finds noteworthy is the phase 3 CheckMate-067 trial, which stands out for its results showing that, after six and a half years of follow-up, about half of patients who received a combination of the immunotherapies ipilimumab and nivolumab are essentially cured.

“Having a median survival of 72 months is unbelievable in melanoma,” Dr. Weber notes. “The ipilimumab–nivolumab combination is a great regimen as CheckMate-067 shows, but it’s pretty toxic. The field is headed to attempts to reduce toxicity and attempts to use agents that might do, we hope, somewhere near as well as ipilimumab–nivolumab and have fewer side effects.”

Listen to Dr. Weber’s entire interview with OncLive On Air.