Adjuvant treatment of stage III melanoma after complete resection

Over the past decade the development of immuno therapies and targeted therapies has changed the treatment of stage IV melanoma patients. These successes led to trials studying the same therapies in the adjuvant setting, in high risk resected stage III and IV melanoma patients. Ipilimumab was the first drug in adjuvant treatment which showed an improvement in recurrence-free and overall survival but was accompanied by high severe toxicity rates. Therefore anti-PD-1 agents nivolumab, pembrolizumab and targeted therapy with BRAFinhibitors started to be use in adjuvant treatment of melanoma. Their use has yielded to promising results and a favorable toxicity profile. (author)