› Forums › General Melanoma Community › ASCO Update 2
- This topic has 12 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 11 months ago by Tim–MRF.
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- June 3, 2013 at 2:18 am
This was a great day for melanoma at ASCO. The highlight was a session, with several presentations, on PD1 drugs. The Merck PD1 drug, labrolizumab, had an overall response rate of 38%. In the best dosage of the trial, half of patients saw tumors shrink on this drug. Compare this to ipi, in which the response rate is less than 20%. Another researcher reported on combining the BMS PD1 drug, nivolumab, with ipilimumab. Response rates in the best arm were, again, over 50%. More than 40% of patients saw their tumors shrink by 80% or more.
This was a great day for melanoma at ASCO. The highlight was a session, with several presentations, on PD1 drugs. The Merck PD1 drug, labrolizumab, had an overall response rate of 38%. In the best dosage of the trial, half of patients saw tumors shrink on this drug. Compare this to ipi, in which the response rate is less than 20%. Another researcher reported on combining the BMS PD1 drug, nivolumab, with ipilimumab. Response rates in the best arm were, again, over 50%. More than 40% of patients saw their tumors shrink by 80% or more.
One of the challenges of using ipi has been that responses can take a long time to develop. This means that ipi is too slow for patients with aggressive tumors. In combination, however, the responses were much faster–most within 12 weeks. I can report that the feeling in the room was nothing short of giddiness. All the melanoma researchers were grinning ear to ear in hearing this news.
Both the Merck drug and the "novi"+ "ipi" combo will be used in larger trials, with a good number of slots available. Based on the data, however, a lot of researchers feel that the FDA should approve these drugs with little or no additional research.
Another session reported on brain metastases. Perhaps the best information is that BRAF inhibitors have an impact on brain mets for patients wtih BRAF mutation in their tumor.
A lot of good news for the fight against melanoma, and hopefully more to come in the future.
Tim–MRF
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- June 3, 2013 at 2:44 am
Tim, thanks for the update, it is great to hear such positive news. I hope the expansion of trial slots for AntiPD1 and the ipi + novi combination will filter down to Australia, where despite being such a melanoma-affected country, we seem to have very limited availability of trials in some of these key areas.
I personally have been lucky to first get compassionate access to Dabrafenib, and when that failed, to move onto a BRAF/MEK inhibitor combination dose escalation trial from Novartis, and it is keeping me healthy for now but I can't help wondering "what next"? The answer sounds like it might be ipi + novi
Is there an indication of whether AntiPD1 and/or the ipi + novi combination are producing more durable responses than say the BRAF/MEK inhibitors?
Ally
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- June 3, 2013 at 10:04 am
I am an original Anti-PD-1 baby who did BMS's Anti-PD-1 -nivolumab (with 70 peptide injections)…My trial was 30 months long and I finished my last booster April 5th. I have been stage IV for 4 years and NED for over 3. Hope you all get access to these treatments soon!- Lynn
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- June 3, 2013 at 10:04 am
I am an original Anti-PD-1 baby who did BMS's Anti-PD-1 -nivolumab (with 70 peptide injections)…My trial was 30 months long and I finished my last booster April 5th. I have been stage IV for 4 years and NED for over 3. Hope you all get access to these treatments soon!- Lynn
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- June 3, 2013 at 10:04 am
I am an original Anti-PD-1 baby who did BMS's Anti-PD-1 -nivolumab (with 70 peptide injections)…My trial was 30 months long and I finished my last booster April 5th. I have been stage IV for 4 years and NED for over 3. Hope you all get access to these treatments soon!- Lynn
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- June 4, 2013 at 5:19 am
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- June 4, 2013 at 5:19 am
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- June 4, 2013 at 5:19 am
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- June 3, 2013 at 2:44 am
Tim, thanks for the update, it is great to hear such positive news. I hope the expansion of trial slots for AntiPD1 and the ipi + novi combination will filter down to Australia, where despite being such a melanoma-affected country, we seem to have very limited availability of trials in some of these key areas.
I personally have been lucky to first get compassionate access to Dabrafenib, and when that failed, to move onto a BRAF/MEK inhibitor combination dose escalation trial from Novartis, and it is keeping me healthy for now but I can't help wondering "what next"? The answer sounds like it might be ipi + novi
Is there an indication of whether AntiPD1 and/or the ipi + novi combination are producing more durable responses than say the BRAF/MEK inhibitors?
Ally
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- June 3, 2013 at 2:44 am
Tim, thanks for the update, it is great to hear such positive news. I hope the expansion of trial slots for AntiPD1 and the ipi + novi combination will filter down to Australia, where despite being such a melanoma-affected country, we seem to have very limited availability of trials in some of these key areas.
I personally have been lucky to first get compassionate access to Dabrafenib, and when that failed, to move onto a BRAF/MEK inhibitor combination dose escalation trial from Novartis, and it is keeping me healthy for now but I can't help wondering "what next"? The answer sounds like it might be ipi + novi
Is there an indication of whether AntiPD1 and/or the ipi + novi combination are producing more durable responses than say the BRAF/MEK inhibitors?
Ally
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- June 4, 2013 at 1:03 am
Thanks for all the updates, Tim. This is more positive, hopeful news I have ever heard about melanoma. Sometimes I feel like we are right on the cusp of unravelling this mystery. Then something happens and I feel like we are back at square one. But this news makes me feel hopeful about moving forward toward that cure…fingers and toes crossed!Thanks for all that you do!
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- June 4, 2013 at 1:03 am
Thanks for all the updates, Tim. This is more positive, hopeful news I have ever heard about melanoma. Sometimes I feel like we are right on the cusp of unravelling this mystery. Then something happens and I feel like we are back at square one. But this news makes me feel hopeful about moving forward toward that cure…fingers and toes crossed!Thanks for all that you do!
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- June 4, 2013 at 1:03 am
Thanks for all the updates, Tim. This is more positive, hopeful news I have ever heard about melanoma. Sometimes I feel like we are right on the cusp of unravelling this mystery. Then something happens and I feel like we are back at square one. But this news makes me feel hopeful about moving forward toward that cure…fingers and toes crossed!Thanks for all that you do!
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