Efficacy of Nivolumab as second-line Treatment for Elderly Patients with Metastatic Malign Melanoma

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the clinical characteristics, effectiveness and safety of nivolumab monotherapy in patients aged 65 years and older with metastatic melanoma. Materials and Methods: This study included patients aged 65 years and older who were diagnosed with metastatic cutaneous or mucosal melanoma. Patients with BRAF wild type, ECOG performance status 0-1, and who had previously received one line of chemotherapy were included, irrespective of PD-L1 expression. The study analyzed PFS, OS, and adverse event profiles. Results: A total of 21 patients, with a median age of 70, were included in the study. The median PFS for nivolumab as second-line therapy in elderly patients was 3.5 months (95% CI, 1.5 to 5.6 months), while the median OS was 14.5 months (95% CI, 10.3 to 18.6 months). The most common grade 1-2 adverse events were anemia (66.7%) and serum creatinine increase (23.8%). Additionally, the rate of grade 3-4 adverse events due to all causes was 28.6%. No grade 5 adverse events were observed. Conclusion: Nivolumab is effective and safe as second-line therapy in patients 65 years of age and older with metastatic melanoma. It is a tolerable and effective treatment choice for elderly patients who cannot received Nivolumab in first line therapy.