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In recent years, advanced melanoma (a type of skin cancer) has been transformed from a disease that was almost always fatal to one that often can be brought under control for years, or even cured. Thanks to new drugs, people with advanced disease have a five-year survival rate of about 50%.
Treatments for advanced melanoma have moved forward mainly on two fronts: immunotherapy and targeted therapy. The biggest impact has come from immune checkpoint inhibitors, which take the brakes off the immune system and enable immune cells called T cells to go after cancer.
“The landscape for melanoma has changed dramatically,” says Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) medical oncologist James Smithy, MD, who specializes in treating advanced forms of the disease. “Our group at MSK was involved in the early trials of checkpoint inhibitors more than 15 years ago. Since that time, we have been working on how to best use these drugs in many disease settings. There are exciting opportunities for further improvement.”
