Analysis of advanced melanomas changed from immune checkpoint blockade therapy to palliative care

New treatments for advanced melanoma such as immune checkpoint blockades contribute to an improved long-term survival of the disease. However, the response evaluation of immune checkpoint blockades is difficult, and the decision about when to stop the drug in progressive disease (PD) cases is difficult, too. We analyzed 8 patients with advanced melanoma who changed to palliative care following immune checkpoint blockade (nivolumab or ipilimumab) between July 2014 and June 2016. Two of the patients were male and 6 were female. The mean age was 69.3 years. The BRAF V600E mutation was not detected in 6 patients. The mean number of administrations and period of the immune checkpoint blockades from PD determination to the last dosage were 2.4 times and 36.1 days, respectively. The mean period from the last dosage to death was 36.1 days. We should change from immune checkpoint blockade to another treatment or palliative care in PD cases, but we often continued it beyond PD when there was no other treatment available.