A response to the ipilimumab treatment of a patient with a diagnosis of metastatic melanoma

Abstract

In the past years there has been a great progress in the treatment of advanced melanoma. Melanoma patients with distant metastases are still characterized by poor outcomes. Immunotherapeutic oncology gives a chance of long-term survival for patients with metastatic melanoma by engaging the strength of the immune system to fight the tumor cells. One of the drugs giving great hope in the treatment of advanced melanoma is ipilimumab. Randomized clinical trials demonstrated that the use of ipilimumab significantly prolongs overall survival of melanoma patients after the failure of previous systemic therapy. Although we need to remember that the clinical benefit of treatment with anti-CTLA-4 can only benefit a part of patients. Due to different kinetic responses to immunotherapy ipilimumab, it is important to assess the response to treatment carried out by modified immunological criteria (irRC). We describe the case of a 68-old year woman with a diagnosis of metastatic melanoma, in which the use of ipilimumab resulted in a long-term clinical benefit.