Ipilimumab/nivolumab
Ipilimumab is a monoclonal antibody directed against the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4). Nivolumab is a monoclonal antibody directed against the immune checkpoint receptor known as the programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) on the surface of immune cells. When the antibody binds to PD-1, it prevents the interaction of the PD-1 receptor with its ligand, PD-L1 on cancer cells. Without the interaction between receptor and ligand, the immune cell is not silenced. In contrast, the immune cell is active and will identify tumor antigens presented on the surface of cancer cells.
Both nivolumab and ipilimumab are approved as monotherapies for the treatment of many types of cancers. They are also approved for use together as combination therapy for the treatment of:
- Intermediate or poor-risk advanced renal cell carcinoma
- Metastatic non-small cell lung cancer
- Metastatic or unresectable melanoma
- Unresectable advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
- Unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer
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