Medical need

Melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer, representing 2% of all newly diagnosed cancer cases (232,000 new cases and 55,000 deaths worldwide in 2012). It is also the leading cancer in terms of incidence increase (+ 10% per year) and one of the most common cancers in young adults (18-35 years).

Melanoma is often easier to detect in its early stages than most cancers. However, it is also more likely to spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body, and 16% of patients are first diagnosed at an advanced stage. Prognosis for this late-stage disease is very unfavorable (5-year mortality rate of 85%).

The standard treatment for patients with metastatic melanoma is changing with the arrival of innovative therapies. Immune checkpoint inhibitors such as anti-PD-1 dramatically improve overall survival with a median exceeding one year. However, many patients still don’t benefit from the treatment or suffer from severe adverse events.