What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 53 patients with melanoma. The study was sponsored by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was initial testing (phase 2). Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
80% of patients remained cancer-free four years after starting treatment.
Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2025 · NCT02519322
These findings — that melanoma patients stayed disease-free four years after combination immunotherapy — were published in the Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 53 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with melanoma, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This combination is not yet FDA-approved for use before surgery, but both drugs are approved for advanced melanoma. If you're facing surgery for melanoma that has spread to lymph nodes or nearby areas, ask your oncologist whether you qualify for a clinical trial testing immunotherapy before surgery — early results suggest it may work better than waiting until after.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open melanoma trials
Electrochemotherapy (ECT) in Patients With Primary Visceral Tumors and/or Secondary Visceral Localizations, of Any Histotype
This is an monocenter, single arm, clinical investigation that evaluate the impact of the method on the objective response rate (ORR) of visceral lesions undergoing electrochemotherapy. Electrochemotherapy is a well-defined method for the treatment of cutaneous and subcutaneous metastases of different tumor histotypes. Although still limited, the various experiences in the treatment of visceral localizations, particularly in liver metastases from colorectal cancer are promising and show that electrochemotherapy is a safe treatment, even in the case of lesions near large vessels or nerves. The investigators therefore propose a clinical investigation with a Medical Device according to EU Regulation 745/2017, using electrochemotherapy (Cliniporator) with bleomycin for the treatment of visceral, primary or secondary, unresectable localizations, with percutaneous or intraoperative technique (laparoscopic or laparotomy), as needed.
Nodal Radiation Therapy for Sentinel Lymph Node Positive Melanoma
This phase II trial seeks to determine the role of nodal radiation therapy after sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for patients with high risk sentinel lymph node positive melanoma who are planned for immunotherapy without completion lymph node dissection. Prior studies of patients with more advanced melanoma have shown nodal radiation therapy can decrease the risk of nodal recurrence but it is not known if this same benefit will be seen in patients with high risk sentinel lymph node positive disease who are planned for immunotherapy.