Clinical Research Directory

SWE-NEO: Swedish NeoAdjuvant Trial Comparing Monotherapy to Combined Immunotherapy in Resectable Stage III Melanoma

At present two studies (SWOG S1801 and NADINA) have demonstrated superiority when using neoadjuvant treatment compared to adjuvant treatment only, but no studies have compared PD-1 monotherapy (SWOG 1801 regimen) to the PD-1/CTLA-4 combination (NADINA regimen) therapy. The SWE-NEO study aims to compare these two regimens, where the PD-1/CTLA-4 combination is potentially more effective, but also associated with more side effects.

Neoadjuvant Ipilimumab Plus Nivolumab Versus Standard Adjuvant Nivolumab in Macroscopic Stage III Melanoma

This is an international (Australia, Europe, and USA) open-label two-arm randomized phase 3 trial including 420 stage III (≤3 resectable in-transit metastases allowed) cutaneous or unknown primary melanoma patients. Patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive either 2 cycles of neoadjuvant ipilimumab 80 mg + nivolumab 240 mg every 3 weeks followed by a total lymph node dissection (TLND) and, if applicable, resection of in-transit metastases (arm A) versus standard upfront TLND +/- resection of in-transit metastases followed by 12 cycles adjuvant nivolumab 480 mg every 4 weeks (arm B). Patients with a pathologic partial or non-response in arm A will also receive adjuvant nivolumab 480 mg every 4 weeks for 46 weeks (11 cycles). In case of BRAF V600E/K mutation-positivity, patients from arm A with a pathologic partial or non-response (\>10% viable tumor) will be treated with adjuvant dabrafenib plus trametinib for 46 weeks. Patients will be treated in the study in both arms until melanoma progression to irresectable stage III or stage IV disease, disease recurrence, unacceptable toxicity, subject withdrawal of consent or until end of study treatment. An interim analysis will be performed after 60 events have occurred. The data safety monitory board (DSMB) will be ad hoc consulted when unexpected toxicities are reported. Patients will be followed by 12 weekly CT scans until end of year 3 and then until year 5 according to the institute's standards.