The clinical benefit of immunotherapy was supported by convincing evidence in the following settings: anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy for treating advanced melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the combination of rituximab and chemotherapy for treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia and B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, adoptive cell immunotherapy for NSCLC, and the combination of interferon α and chemotherapy for metastatic melanoma.
Novel immunotherapies including antibodies to programmed death ligand 1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) have become common therapies for neoplasms including metastatic melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
The addition of an anti-PD-1/PD-L1 agent, such as pembrolizumab, durvalumab or atezolizumab, to combined BRAF and MEK inhibition has shown considerable promise, with several trials ongoing in metastatic melanoma.
At present, there are two main classes of therapies acting with a certain efficiency on metastatic melanoma: immune check point inhibitors (anti-PD1/PDL1) and targeted therapy such as Vemurafenib.
Association of combined PD-L1 expression and tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte features with survival and treatment outcomes in patients with metastatic melanoma.
PD-L1 expression (cutoff 5%) was analyzed by immunohistochemistry with two different antibodies in BRAF(V600)-mutated formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded samples from 80 consecutive MMP treated with BRAFi at a single institution.