Relatlimab and Nivolumab versus Nivolumab in Untreated Advanced Melanoma.
Publication/Presentation Date
1-6-2022
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3) and programmed death 1 (PD-1) are distinct inhibitory immune checkpoints that contribute to T-cell exhaustion. The combination of relatlimab, a LAG-3-blocking antibody, and nivolumab, a PD-1-blocking antibody, has been shown to be safe and to have antitumor activity in patients with previously treated melanoma, but the safety and activity in patients with previously untreated melanoma need investigation.
METHODS: In this phase 2-3, global, double-blind, randomized trial, we evaluated relatlimab and nivolumab as a fixed-dose combination as compared with nivolumab alone when administered intravenously every 4 weeks to patients with previously untreated metastatic or unresectable melanoma. The primary end point was progression-free survival as assessed by blinded independent central review.
RESULTS: The median progression-free survival was 10.1 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.4 to 15.7) with relatlimab-nivolumab as compared with 4.6 months (95% CI, 3.4 to 5.6) with nivolumab (hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.62 to 0.92]; P = 0.006 by the log-rank test). Progression-free survival at 12 months was 47.7% (95% CI, 41.8 to 53.2) with relatlimab-nivolumab as compared with 36.0% (95% CI, 30.5 to 41.6) with nivolumab. Progression-free survival across key subgroups favored relatlimab-nivolumab over nivolumab. Grade 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 18.9% of patients in the relatlimab-nivolumab group and in 9.7% of patients in the nivolumab group.
CONCLUSIONS: The inhibition of two immune checkpoints, LAG-3 and PD-1, provided a greater benefit with regard to progression-free survival than inhibition of PD-1 alone in patients with previously untreated metastatic or unresectable melanoma. Relatlimab and nivolumab in combination showed no new safety signals. (Funded by Bristol Myers Squibb; RELATIVITY-047 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03470922.).
Volume
386
Issue
1
First Page
24
Last Page
34
ISSN
1533-4406
Published In/Presented At
Tawbi, H. A., Schadendorf, D., Lipson, E. J., Ascierto, P. A., Matamala, L., Castillo Gutiérrez, E., Rutkowski, P., Gogas, H. J., Lao, C. D., De Menezes, J. J., Dalle, S., Arance, A., Grob, J. J., Srivastava, S., Abaskharoun, M., Hamilton, M., Keidel, S., Simonsen, K. L., Sobiesk, A. M., Li, B., … RELATIVITY-047 Investigators (2022). Relatlimab and Nivolumab versus Nivolumab in Untreated Advanced Melanoma. The New England journal of medicine, 386(1), 24–34. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2109970
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
34986285
Department(s)
Hematology-Medical Oncology Division, Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute
Document Type
Article