Immunotherapy, which works by enabling the body's immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells improves long-term overall survival in patients with advanced melanoma in results from large international studies reported at ESMO 2024 . Researchers leading the longest follow-up study to date suggest that immunotherapy offers the potential for cure in patients who respond to this treatment. Further clinical trials reported at ESMO 2024 show improved long-term survival with immunotherapy given before and after surgery in women with early-stage, hard-to-treat breast cancer (triple negative breast cancer) and in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
"The main message from all of these studies is that immunotherapy continues to keep its promise and hope of long-term survival for many patients with different types of cancer," said Dr. Alessandra Curioni-Fontecedro, professor of oncology at the University of Fribourg and director of oncology at the Hospital of Fribourg, Switzerland, not involved in the study. "At ESMO 2024 we are seeing many studies in many different cancers showing that immunotherapy can work for a long time.
" Results of a phase 3 trial of immunotherapy with an anti–programmed death (PD)-1–based therapy showed continued long-term survival benefit in patients with advanced melanoma. After follow-up of at least 10 years, the median overall survival was 71.9 months (about 6 years) in patients randomized to combination immunotherapy with nivolumab plus .