PD-1 Antibody Monotherapy for Malignant Melanoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PLoS One. 2016 Aug 2;11(8):e0160485. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160485. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Antibodies targeting programmed death 1 (PD-1) help prevent tumor cells from escaping immune-mediated destruction. We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis to gain insight into the efficacy of PD-1 antibodies for the treatment of melanoma. Five trials involving 2,828 adult patients were included in this meta-analysis. In patients with previously untreated or refractory melanoma, treatment with PD-1 antibodies significantly improved the six-month progression-free survival (PFS) (HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.50-0.60, P<0.00001) and the overall response rate (OR 3.89, 95% CI 3.12-4.83, P<0.00001). This meta-analysis indicated that anti-PD-1 treatment might provide a significant survival benefit in patients with melanoma. In addition, we found that patients treated with nivolumab reported significantly fewer treatment-related adverse events (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.57-0.97, P = 0.03) than those treated with other agents, but there was a dose-dependent increase in the frequency of adverse events in patients treated with pembrolizumab.

Publication types

  • Meta-Analysis
  • Review
  • Systematic Review

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / therapeutic use*
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / administration & dosage*
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / adverse effects
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Diarrhea / diagnosis
  • Diarrhea / etiology
  • Diarrhea / physiopathology
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Drug Administration Schedule
  • Exanthema / diagnosis
  • Exanthema / etiology
  • Exanthema / physiopathology
  • Fatigue / diagnosis
  • Fatigue / etiology
  • Fatigue / physiopathology
  • Gene Expression
  • Humans
  • Melanoma / drug therapy*
  • Melanoma / mortality
  • Melanoma / pathology
  • Melanoma, Cutaneous Malignant
  • Nausea / diagnosis
  • Nausea / etiology
  • Nausea / physiopathology
  • Nivolumab
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / genetics
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / immunology
  • Pruritus / diagnosis
  • Pruritus / etiology
  • Pruritus / physiopathology
  • Skin Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Skin Neoplasms / mortality
  • Skin Neoplasms / pathology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • PDCD1 protein, human
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor
  • Nivolumab
  • pembrolizumab

Grants and funding

The authors have no support or funding to report.