Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in the Treatment of Metastatic UvealMelanoma: A Single-Center Experience

Metastatic uveal melanoma (MUM) is associated with a poor prognosis, with a median overall survival (OS) of 4–15months. Despite new insights into the genetic and molecular background of MUM, satisfactory systemic treatment approaches arecurrently lacking. The study results of innovative treatment strategies are urgently needed.Patients and Methods. This was aretrospective case series of 8 patients with MUM managed at the University of Cincinnati between January 2015 and January2018. The immune-related Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (irRECIST) 1.1 criteria were used for patientevaluation, and magnetic resonance imaging was used for evaluation at treatment checkpoints.Objective. To assess the clinicaloutcome of patients with MUM treated with a combination of checkpoint inhibitors.Results. The series included eight patients,six men and two women, with MUM. Their median age at MUM diagnosis was 69 (range, 55–77) years. All patients weretreated with ipilimumab and nivolumab combination along with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), followed bynivolumab maintenance and monthly TACE procedures. The majority of patients had a partial response or stable disease. Twoof the patients had partial response, while four others had stable disease. Two other patients experienced disease progression.Conclusion. We report the outcomes of eight patients with MUM treated with the combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab.We report the clinical outcome and toxicity associated with this treatment approach. Further studies are warranted to exploreimmunotherapy in MUM. Thesefindings support the consideration of immunotherapy in MUM.