Melanoma survival rates largely depend upon stage at diagnosis. The five-year survival rate for localized disease is 99.6%, which is significantly higher than that observed for distant disease (35.1%). Despite improved prognosis for melanoma patients due to advances in treatment options in recent years, survival rates for patients with advanced disease remain low. 

Since the 2011 approval of the CTLA-4-directed monoclonal antibody Yervoy, immune checkpoint inhibitors have been a mainstay in the treatment of melanoma. The success of Yervoy gave rise to a second class of immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting programmed death-1 (PD-1). After demonstrating superiority over Yervoy in their respective clinical trials, leading PD-1 inhibitors Opdivo and Keytruda now dominate the melanoma market. The continued development of checkpoint inhibitors as part of combinations with novel pipeline therapies will ensure the sustained growth of the melanoma market. 

This Datamonitor Healthcare report contains a Disease Analysis module.