Almost half of advanced melanoma patients ‘survive more than six years after treatment’

Nearly half of patients with advanced skin cancer who were part of a global clinical trial are still alive more than six years after treatment using a combination of two powerful drugs.

Latest results from the Checkmate 067 trial led by pharmaceutical firm Bristol Myers Squibb at sites including the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London have shown that when taken together, ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab (Opdivo) can increase overall survival rates by 49%.