Dr. Luke on the Future of Combination Therapy in Melanoma

Jason J. Luke, MD, assistant professor of Medicine, The University of Chicago Medicine, discusses what the future holds for combination therapies for patients with melanoma.

Big-picture questions being asked in the field of melanoma are in regard to patient selection for specific agents, as well as determining additional agents that can be combined in the future, Luke explains. Given how the field has evolved over the last few years, Luke says researchers should not waste time investigating combination therapies with little probability of success.

The combination of anti—CTLA-4 and anti–PD-1 agents has generated high response rates in patients with melanoma, Luke adds. In ongoing clinical trials, combinations of anti–PD-1 agents and oncolytic viruses or with IDO inhibitors are being studied. There are underpinned rationales for each combination that suggest they should be pursued.