Immunotherapy / CTLA-4 inhibitorFDA-approvedFirst-line
Ipilimumab
How it works
Blocks CTLA-4, a protein that normally helps cancer cells evade the immune system, allowing the immune system to attack cancer cells.
Cancer types
Efficacy
Studies show that around 30% of patients achieved an objective response, with a median overall survival of approximately 11.4 months.
Side effects
Severe
This treatment carries a higher risk of serious side effects. Close medical monitoring is required throughout treatment.
Evidence from research
| Study | Cancer type | Stage | Efficacy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nivolumab plus ipilimumab treatment shows promise for Japanese patients with lung cancer | Lung Cancer | phase-3 | Median overall survival was 41.0 months versus 15.2 months, with a 5-year overall survival rate of 38% versus 16%. | Source → |
| Testing a Special Diet with Immunotherapy in Melanoma Patients | Melanoma | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Study Examines Combination Therapy for Advanced Prostate Cancer | Prostate Cancer | phase-2 | The confirmed PSA response rate was 21.6% in one group, and 20.5% in the other. | Source → |
| Testing a New Vaccine and Immunotherapy Combination for Colorectal and Pancreatic Cancer | Colorectal Cancer | phase-1 | — | Source → |
| Testing Immunotherapy for Localized Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Immunotherapy Options for Colorectal Cancer | Colorectal Cancer | review | Pembrolizumab has a well-characterized long-term safety profile and superior progression-free and overall survival versus chemotherapy. | Source → |
| Combining Cancer Treatments Boosts Immune Response in Brain Metastases | Lung Cancer | lab-study | — | Source → |
| Combining Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy for Lung Cancer | Lung Cancer | phase-2 | The objective response rate was 7% and 10% at 6 and 12 weeks, and reached 29% as the best response. | Source → |
| Combining Immunotherapy and Radiation for Colorectal and Pancreatic Cancer | Colorectal Cancer | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Treating Advanced Melanoma with Combination Therapies | Melanoma | phase-3 | — | Source → |
| Testing Nivolumab and Radiation Therapy for Brain Metastases from Lung Cancer | Lung Cancer | phase-1 | — | Source → |
| Testing a Combination Treatment for Metastatic Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Testing Combination Therapy for Melanoma Brain Metastases | Melanoma | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Testing Nivolumab and Ipilimumab for Advanced Squamous Cell Lung Cancer | Lung Cancer | phase-3 | — | Source → |
| Study of Immunotherapy for High-Risk Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Testing New Treatments for Relapsed or Refractory Leukemia | Leukemia | phase-1 | — | Source → |
| Testing Nivolumab and Hydroxychloroquine for Advanced Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-1 | — | Source → |
| Stopping Combo Immunotherapy for Melanoma Brain Metastases May Be Safe | Melanoma | observational | 4-year OS exceeded 83% in patients discontinuing COMBO after CR, PR, or toxicity following CR, compared with 66.4% in those discontinuing due to toxicity after PR. | Source → |
| Evaluating Adaptive Dosing of Immunotherapy for Metastatic Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Testing a New Treatment for Advanced Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-1 | — | Source → |
| Combination Therapy for Untreated Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer | Pancreatic Cancer | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Testing a New Approach to Treating Advanced Melanoma | Melanoma | preclinical | — | Source → |
| Ipilimumab and Sargramostim for Advanced Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Melanoma Patient Responds to Repeated Treatment with Ipilimumab and Nivolumab | Melanoma | observational | — | Source → |
| Ipilimumab and Interferon Alfa-2b in Treating Advanced Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Testing Combination Therapy for Advanced Skin Cancers in Kidney Transplant Recipients | Melanoma | phase-1 | — | Source → |
| Rare Sleep Disorder Linked to Cancer Treatment | Melanoma | observational | — | Source → |
| Nivolumab and Ipilimumab Combination Shows Promise in Some Cancer Patients | Colorectal Cancer | phase-2 | The disease control rates for breast cancer and other solid tumors were 33% and 32%, respectively. | Source → |
| Testing New Treatments for Advanced Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Testing IL2 and Immunotherapy in Advanced Melanoma Patients | Melanoma | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Evaluating Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in Combination with Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer | Lung Cancer | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Testing Combination Therapy for Advanced Breast Cancer and Solid Tumors | Breast Cancer | phase-1 | — | Source → |
| Testing Fianlimab, Cemiplimab, and Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Testing Nivolumab and Ipilimumab with Radiation in Advanced Rectal Cancer | Colorectal Cancer | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Nivolumab and Ipilimumab Trial | Lung Cancer | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Immunotherapy Effectiveness in Lung Cancer Patients | Lung Cancer | observational | — | Source → |
| Testing Tocilizumab with Immunotherapy for Advanced Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Immunotherapy Shows Promise for Rare Ovarian and Cervical Cancers | Leukemia | phase-2 | The overall response rate was 9.38%, with two complete responses that are ongoing at >3 years and one partial response. | Source → |
| Combining Immunotherapy for Advanced Anal Cancer | Colorectal Cancer | phase-2 | The median progression-free survival was 2.9 months for nivolumab and 3.7 months for nivolumab plus ipilimumab. | Source → |
| Immunotherapy Response Predicted by Low Tumor Mutation Burden and PD-L1 Expression | Melanoma | observational | — | Source → |
| Combination Therapy for Metastatic Melanoma Shows Promise in Real-World Study | Melanoma | observational | The response rate was 54% (39/72) and, after 13.6 months of median follow-up, a longer median progression-free survival [17.03 months (95% CI 4.8-18.6)]. | Source → |
| Combination Cancer Therapy Linked to Kidney and Pancreas Damage | Lung Cancer | observational | — | Source → |
| Melanoma Study Examines Vaccine Combination with Immunotherapy | Melanoma | phase-2 | Objective response rates were 59.7% and 59.2% in the two treatment arms. | Source → |
| Combination Treatment Shows Promise for Rare Gynecological Cancers | Ovarian Cancer | phase-2 | The overall objective response rate was 54% (95% CI, 35-71), with 3 (12%) complete responses and 12 (42%) partial responses. | Source → |
| Cost-effectiveness of dual immunotherapy for lung cancer | Lung Cancer | phase-3 | Nivolumab plus ipilimumab provided an incremental gain of 1.11 and 0.96 QALYs over chemotherapy in the USA and China, respectively. | Source → |
| Comparing Two Ways to Give Cancer Treatment | Melanoma | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Combining treatments improves survival for ovarian cancer patients | Ovarian Cancer | meta-analysis | PD1/PDL1 inhibitors plus chemotherapy and PD1/PDL1 inhibitors plus ipilimumab showed the greatest progression-free survival (PFS) benefit (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.52-1.07; HR = 0.82, 95% CI:0.51-1.33) and overall survival (OS) (HR = 0.85, 95% CI:0.64-1.14; HR = 0.83, 95% CI:0.45-1.54). | Source → |
| Rare Side Effects of Cancer Treatment | Melanoma | observational | — | Source → |
| IDO Expression in Melanoma Treated with Ipilimumab | Melanoma | observational | — | Source → |
| Combination Therapy for Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis | Lung Cancer | meta-analysis | Non-small cell lung cancer patients who received combination therapy had better progression-free survival (HR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.71; 0.93, P < 0.01). | Source → |
| Researchers Test New Cancer Treatment in Rare Ovarian Cancers | Ovarian Cancer | phase-2 | The overall response rate was 25% in granulosa cell tumors, with 50% of patients experiencing clinical benefit. | Source → |
| Long-term Outcomes for Melanoma Patients Treated with Nivolumab and Ipilimumab | Melanoma | phase-3 | OS was longer with NIVO + IPI versus NIVO monotherapy (hazard ratio, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.67 to 0.91]), with 6-year OS rates of 52% versus 41%, respectively. | Source → |
| Melanoma patients' quality of life during immunotherapy treatment | Melanoma | observational | — | Source → |
| Melanoma Patients' Long-Term Survival Rates After Treatment | Melanoma | phase-3 | Estimated cure rates were 48.3% with nivolumab, 38.2% with ipilimumab, and 29.2% with placebo. | Source → |
| Long-term Outcomes with Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-3 | Median overall survival was 71.9 months with nivolumab plus ipilimumab, 36.9 months with nivolumab, and 19.9 months with ipilimumab. | Source → |
| Study Compares Cancer Treatments for Rare Melanoma in Japanese Patients | Melanoma | observational | Objective response rates did not differ significantly between the NIVO+IPI and PD-1 groups (40.0% vs 27.7%). | Source → |
| Researchers Study Effectiveness of Cancer Treatment with Adaptive Dosing | Melanoma | phase-2 | The overall response rate was 47% (95% CI, 35%-59%) with a median follow-up of 34 months among survivors. | Source → |
| Melanoma Treatment Comparison Study Finds Similar Efficacy | Melanoma | phase-3 | Nivolumab plus relatlimab demonstrated similar progression-free survival (hazard ratio, 1.08 [95% CI, 0.88 to 1.33]) and overall survival (HR, 0.94 [95% CI, 0.75 to 1.19]) to nivolumab plus ipilimumab. | Source → |
| Woman's Rare Brain Inflammation Linked to Cancer Treatment | Lung Cancer | observational | — | Source → |
| New Insights into Cancer Treatment for Children | Melanoma | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Combining Guadecitabine and Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-1 | The 5-year overall survival rate was 28.9% and the median duration of response was 20.6 months. | Source → |
| Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors May Reduce Costs of Cancer Treatment | Lung Cancer | phase-3 | — | Source → |
| Combining Cancer Treatments May Help Some Patients with Advanced Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-2 | The combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab resulted in a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival over ipilimumab (hazard ratio = 0.63). | Source → |
| Melanoma Tumor Size Before Treatment Linked to Patient Outcomes | Melanoma | phase-3 | — | Source → |
| Long-term Survival Benefit of Pembrolizumab in Advanced Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-3 | Median overall survival was 32.7 months for pembrolizumab versus 15.9 months for ipilimumab. | Source → |
| Japanese Study Finds Safety of Nivolumab and Ipilimumab Combination Therapy for Melanoma | Melanoma | observational | — | Source → |
| Combination Immunotherapy for Melanoma Brain Metastases | Melanoma | observational | Median overall survival was 5.45 months, with 21% of patients alive after 3 years. | Source → |
| Combination Therapy Shows Promise in Treating Advanced Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-3 | The estimated 5-year RFS and OS rates for the neoadjuvant arm were 70% and 90% versus 60% and 70% for the adjuvant arm. | Source → |
| Melanoma Treatment Comparison Study | Melanoma | phase-3 | The 2-year overall survival for those starting on arm A was 71.8% (95% CI, 62.5 to 79.1), and arm B 51.5% (95% CI, 41.7 to 60.4). | Source → |
| Combination Therapy Does Not Improve Survival in Melanoma Patients | Melanoma | phase-3 | 24-month RFS rates were 64.6% (combination) and 63.2% (nivolumab). | Source → |
| Combination Therapy Fails to Improve Lung Cancer Treatment | Lung Cancer | phase-2 | The objective response rate was 3.2%. | Source → |
| Side Effects of Cancer Treatment: A Rare Case of Colitis | Melanoma | observational | — | Source → |
| Long-term benefit of nivolumab plus low-dose ipilimumab in colorectal cancer | Colorectal Cancer | phase-2 | The investigator-assessed objective response rate increased from 55% to 65% at 50.9 months. | Source → |
| Combining Immunotherapy and Radiation for Pancreatic Cancer | Pancreatic Cancer | phase-2 | The clinical benefit rate was 17.1% for patients receiving nivolumab and radiation, and 37.2% for patients receiving nivolumab and ipilimumab with radiation. | Source → |
| Real-world data compared to clinical trials in advanced melanoma | Melanoma | observational | — | Source → |
| Long-term Outcomes of Melanoma Treatment with Nivolumab and Ipilimumab | Melanoma | phase-3 | Median overall survival was 72.1, 36.9, and 19.9 months in the combination, nivolumab, and ipilimumab groups, respectively. | Source → |
| Ipilimumab and Nivolumab Show Promise in Rare Aggressive Breast Cancer | Breast Cancer | phase-2 | The overall response rate was 18%. | Source → |
| Melanoma Treatment: New Options After Pembrolizumab | Melanoma | phase-3 | The overall response rate with subsequent ipilimumab was 17.5% and 30.5% with BRAF ± MEKi. | Source → |
| Combination Therapy Shows Promise in Advanced Melanoma | Melanoma | phase-2 | ORR was 55% in PEM200+IPI50; 61% in PEM200+IPI100. | Source → |
| Reusing Cancer Treatment May Not Work as Well Second Time Around | Melanoma | observational | The best overall response rate was 74% after the first course of ipilimumab/nivolumab, but only 23% after reinduction. | Source → |
| Combining Cancer Drugs May Work Better at Lower Doses | Melanoma | phase-2 | — | Source → |
| Estimating the Value of Delayed Cancer Treatments | Melanoma | observational | The incremental QALYs gained for ipilimumab compared with chemotherapy without subsequent CIT were 1.74. With subsequent CIT, the incremental QALYs compared with chemotherapy increased by 0.92, 0.60, 0.33, 0.18, 0.10, and 0.02 when CIT became available 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 months after the initiation of first-line treatment, respectively. | Source → |
| New Treatment Option for Advanced Lung Cancer | Lung Cancer | phase-3 | Overall survival was improved for patients who received nivolumab and ipilimumab, with a median OS of 18.1 months compared with 14.1 months for patients who received chemotherapy. | Source → |
| Combining Immunotherapy for Melanoma After Treatment Failure | Melanoma | phase-2 | The irRECIST response rate was 29% among the entire trial population. | Source → |
| Monitoring Side Effects of Cancer Treatment with Ipilimumab | Melanoma | observational | — | Source → |
| Rare Side Effects of Cancer Treatment | Melanoma | observational | — | Source → |
| Misdiagnosing Melanoma with a Common Cancer Treatment | Melanoma | observational | — | Source → |
| Combining Cancer Drugs with Anti-Inflammatory Medications in Melanoma Patients | Melanoma | preclinical | Seven of seven evaluable patients achieved objective response, including four complete responses and three partial responses, in the certolizumab cohort. | Source → |
This information is provided for general education only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making treatment decisions.