Combination Checkpoint Blockade — Taking Melanoma Immunotherapy to the Next Level

Wolchok et al. 1 and Hamid et al. 2 report in the Journal the results of phase 1 clinical trials showing that the combination of PD-1 and CTLA-4 antibody blockers leads to improved treatment outcomes in patients with melanoma, without an escalation of toxic effects. The results of these trials are striking and complementary. In the trial by Hamid et al., a PD-1 monoclonal antibody was administered in patients who had had a relapse after CTLA-4 antibody monotherapy (ipilimumab); the authors found that durable and clinically significant responses were as common and robust as were those observed in patients who had not . . .