Ipilimumab

FDA label information for this drug is available at DailyMed.

Use in Cancer

Ipilimumab is approved to treat:

• Colorectal cancer in adults and children aged 12 years and older. Ipilimumab is used with nivolumab to treat metastatic microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) cancer that got worse after treatment with a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan hydrochloride.¹
• Esophageal cancer that cannot be removed by surgery or has spread to other parts of the body. Ipilimumab is used with nivolumab as the first treatment in adults with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.
• Hepatocellular carcinoma (a type of liver cancer). Ipilimumab is used with nivolumab in patients who have already been treated with sorafenib.¹
• Malignant pleural mesothelioma. Ipilimumab is used with nivolumab as the first treatment in adults whose cancer cannot be removed by surgery.
• Melanoma.
  • Ipilimumab is used alone to help prevent melanoma from coming back after surgery to remove melanoma in the skin and lymph nodes.
  • Ipilimumab is used in alone or with nivolumab in adults and children aged 12 years and older whose cancer cannot be removed by surgery or has spread to other parts of the body.
• Non-small cell lung cancer. Ipilimumab is used with nivolumab as the first treatment in adults with:
  • Cancer that has spread to other parts of the body and has the PD-L1 protein but does not have a mutation in the EGFR or ALK gene.
  • Cancer that has spread to other parts of the body or has come back and does not have a mutation in the EGFR or ALK gene. It is used with platinum chemotherapy.
• Renal cell carcinoma (a type of kidney cancer) that is advanced. Ipilimumab is used with nivolumab in some patients with renal cell carcinoma as the first treatment.

¹This use is approved under FDA’s Accelerated Approval Program. As a condition of approval, a confirmatory trial(s) must show that ipilimumab provides a clinical benefit in these patients.

Ipilimumab is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer.

More About Ipilimumab

Definition from the NCI Drug Dictionary - Detailed scientific definition and other names for this drug.

MedlinePlus Information on Ipilimumab - A lay language summary of important information about this drug that may include the following:

• warnings about this drug,
• what this drug is used for and how it is used,
• what you should tell your doctor before using this drug,
• what you should know about this drug before using it,
• other drugs that may interact with this drug, and
• possible side effects.

Drugs are often studied to find out if they can help treat or prevent conditions other than the ones they are approved for. This patient information sheet applies only to approved uses of the drug. However, much of the information may also apply to unapproved uses that are being studied.

Research Results and Related Resources

Immunotherapy and… Nothing Else? Studies Test Potential Paradigm Shift in Cancer Treatment

Study Identifies a Potential Cause of Immunotherapy’s Heart-Related Side Effects

Targeted Cancer Therapies

Cancer Immunotherapies Don’t Work for Everyone: HLA Gene May Explain Why

Immunotherapy Combination Most Effective as Initial Treatment for BRAF+ Melanoma

Study Details Long-Term Side Effects of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Monoclonal Antibodies

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Clinical Trials Accepting Patients

Find Clinical Trials for Ipilimumab - Check for trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials now accepting patients.