Abstract

Background Uveal Melanoma is a rare tumour that displays different clinical behavior and molecular features compared with cutaneous melanoma. It is generally resistant to systemic therapy and there is no current standard effective therapy to treat patients with advanced disease. Patients and methods We searched Medline, PubMed, EMBASE and major oncology conference abstracts from the past 5 years to identify relevant studies evaluating ipilimumab monotherapy in uveal melanoma. Data were extracted on ipilimumab dose, sample size, Objective Response Rate (ORR), Progression Free Survival (PFS), median Overall Survival (mOS), Disease Control Rate (DCR), 1 year Overall Survival (1yrOS) and 2 year Overall Survival (2yrOS). Results Nine studies were included in this study including Phase II clinical trials (n = 2), Expanded Access Programs (EAP) (n = 4) and retrospective studies (n = 3). Cases were a mix of pre-treated and treatment-naïve patients. Reported mOS ranged from 5.2-28 months (median: 9.3 months), and reported 1yrOS ranged between 4.5-65%. Calculated compound ORR was 3.4%, and compound DCR was 36%. Conclusion Ipilimumab has limited clinical activity in advanced uveal melanoma. Further research is needed to identify more effective systemic therapies for management of these patients.

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