Toripalimab Offers Significant Progression-Free Survival Benefit in Advanced Melanoma

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 14, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with advanced melanoma, including acral melanoma, toripalimab has a significant progression-free survival benefit versus dacarbazine as first-line treatment, according to a study published online Jan. 2 in JAMA Oncology.Xinan Sheng, M.D., from the Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute in Beijing, and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of toripalimab (a programmed cell death 1 inhibitor) versus dacarbazine as the first-line treatment in advanced melanoma predominantly of acral subtype in a multicenter, phase 3 trial. Eligible patients had histologically confirmed stage III or IV melanoma and no prior systemic therapy for advanced melanoma and were randomly assigned to receive toripalimab, 240 mg, every two weeks for up to two years, or dacarbazine, 1,000 mg/m2, every three weeks until disease progression or intolerable toxic effects.The analysis included 256 patients, 160 of whom had acral melanoma: 127 and 128 received toripalimab and dacarbazine, respectively. The researchers found that the risk for disease progression or death was significantly reduced with toripalimab compared with dacarbazine as assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR; hazard ratio, 0.71). In most predefined subgroups, including patients with acral subtype, consistent progression-free survival benefit was observed. The BICR-assessed objective response rate was 11.0 versus 8.6 percent, and the median duration of response was 13.8 versus 6.9 months for toripalimab versus dacarbazine."Our study provided more accurate evidence on the clinical benefits of first-line PD-1 inhibitor therapy for advanced melanoma in non-Western countries where acral melanoma is the predominant melanoma subtype," the authors write.Several authors disclosed ties to biopharmaceutical companies, including Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co., which funded the study.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter