Median duration of recurrence-free survival was 61.1 months with nivolumab and 24.2 months with ipilimumab<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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TUESDAY, Oct. 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) — For patients with resected stage IIIB-C or stage IV melanoma, recurrence-free survival is longer with nivolumab than ipilimumab, according to a study published online Oct. 18 in the New England Journal of Medicine<\/em> to coincide with the annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology, held from Oct. 17 to 21 in Berlin.<\/p>\n Paolo A. Ascierto, M.D., from the Istituto Nazionale Tumori in Italy, and colleagues examined the long-term outcomes of the CheckMate 238 trial in which patients with resected stage IIIB-C or stage IV melanoma were randomly assigned to receive intravenous infusion of nivolumab or ipilimumab for up to one year or until disease recurrence or occurrence of unacceptable toxic effects.<\/p>\n The researchers found that the median duration of recurrence-free survival was 61.1 and 24.2 months with nivolumab and ipilimumab, respectively, at a minimum follow-up of 107 months (hazard ratio for recurrence or death, 0.76), with nine-year recurrence-free survival of 44 and 37 percent, respectively. For patients with stage III melanoma, the median duration of distant metastasis-free survival was more than nine years and 83.8 months with nivolumab and ipilimumab, respectively, with nine-year survival of 54 and 48 percent (hazard ratio for distant metastasis or death, 0.81). In both trial groups, the median overall survival was more than nine years.<\/p>\n “The long-term outcomes from CheckMate 238 confirm that nivolumab is a proven adjuvant treatment for patients with melanoma at high risk for recurrence, with sustained improvement in recurrence-free survival and distant metastasis-free survival,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry, including Bristol Myers Squibb and Ono Pharmaceutical, which funded the study.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n