Utilization and impact of immunotherapy in stage IV melanoma using the National Cancer Database

To evaluate factors affecting the utilization of immunotherapy and to stratify results based on the approval of ipilimumab in 2011 and PD-1 inhibitors in 2014, an analysis of available data from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) was performed. Stage IV melanoma patients were identified. Effects of immunotherapy on overall survival (OS) were assessed using Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards model. A total of 19 233 patients were analyzed and 1998 received immunotherapy. Between 2011 and 2013, and in 2014, 18.6 and 28.9% of patients received immunotherapy, respectively. Patients who received immunotherapy from 2011 to 2013 had a 33% (95% CI, 30–35%) 3-year OS compared to 23% (95% CI, 21–24%). In 2014, 3-year OS was 37% (95% CI, 32–43%) for those who received immunotherapy compared to 22% (95% CI, 18–26%) for those who did not (P 
Source: Melanoma Research - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Original Articles: Epidemiology Source Type: research