Multicenter phase 2 trial of neoadjuvant plus adjuvant relatlimab plus nivolumab for advanced resectable melanoma: long-term survival outcomes

A phase 2 trial at MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX) and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York, NY) evaluated neoadjuvant plus adjuvant relatlimab (anti-LAG3) plus nivolumab (anti-PD1) for patients with advanced resectable melanoma. Long-term follow-up (median 47 months) found that at 4 years from the start or the neoadjuvant treatment, 80% of patients remained event-free, including 95% of patients who achieved a major pathologic response. Gene expression analysis of longitudinally collected biospecimens identified several immune modulatory pathways associated with major pathologic response. The authors conclude that the study demonstrates the long-term benefit of neoadjuvant plus adjuvant relatlimab plus nivolumab for advanced resectable melanoma.