Adjuvant immunotherapy in the modern management of resectable melanoma: current status and outlook to 2028

M Donia (Corresponding Author), H Jespersen, M Jalving, R Lee, H Eriksson, C Hoeller, M Hernberg, I Gavrilova, L Kandolf, G Liszkay, H Helgadottir, A Zhukavets, D Pianova, I Marquez-Rodas, B Neyns, H Westgeest, I Pourmir, P Sobczuk, E Ellebaek, T Amaral

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic advances have reshaped the treatment landscape for patients with resectable melanoma, particularly for those with stage IIB/C and stage III disease. In this article, we discuss the current status and future outlook of adjuvant immunotherapy for melanoma in Europe.

RESULTS: Adjuvant immunotherapy offers significant benefits in terms of recurrence-free survival and distant metastasis-free survival. Uncertainties regarding overall survival (OS) benefits, however, remain. Trials such as Keynote-054, which are expected to provide crucial OS information, have delayed their final analyses until 2027. Additionally, real-world studies have raised questions about the correlation between recurrence-free survival/distant metastasis-free survival improvements observed in clinical trials and OS outcomes in routine clinical practice. These uncertainties have led to ongoing debates about the cost-effectiveness of adjuvant therapies, with disparities in reimbursement policies across Europe reflecting these concerns.

CONCLUSION: Looking ahead to 2028, adjuvant immunotherapy will remain a key option of comprehensive melanoma care, particularly for patients with stage IIB/C and stage III with micrometastatic disease, where neoadjuvant immunotherapy is not feasible.

Original languageEnglish
Article number104295
Number of pages6
JournalESMO Open
Volume10
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2025
Externally publishedYes

Keywords*

  • Humans
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant/methods
  • Europe
  • Immunotherapy/methods
  • Melanoma/therapy

Field of Science*

  • 3.2 Clinical medicine
  • 3.1 Basic medicine

Publication Type*

  • 1.1. Scientific article indexed in Web of Science and/or Scopus database

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