Eva Muñoz-Couselo from VHIO has participated in two studies that reinforce the potential of oncolytic immunotherapies as a new therapeutic strategy against advanced melanoma and other metastatic tumors.
Results from the IGNYTE study show a 45.1% overall survival rate at three years in patients with advanced melanoma resistant to conventional immunotherapy. Another study demonstrates that the intratumoral administration of therapies based on modified viruses in visceral metastases is feasible and shows a favorable safety profile. Both studies were presented during the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, held in Chicago from May 29 to June 2.
This weekend, two studies were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, taking place in Chicago from May 29 to June 2, highlighting the potential of oncolytic immunotherapy based on modified viruses such as RP1 as a promising new therapeutic strategy against advanced melanoma and other metastatic tumors.
What is oncolytic immunotherapy?
This innovative therapeutic strategy is based on the use of laboratory-modified viruses capable of selectively infecting and destroying tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue. In addition to their direct effect on tumors, these viruses can activate the patient’s immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.
Some next-generation oncolytic therapies, such as RP1 and RP2, have also been designed to produce immunostimulatory molecules within the tumor itself, further enhancing the antitumor immune response and promoting a systemic effect against metastatic disease.
New therapeutic strategies
Melanoma accounts for only 1% to 4% of all skin cancers but is responsible for the vast majority of deaths associated with these tumors due to its high metastatic potential. In Spain, around 8,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, and its incidence continues to rise, especially among young and middle-aged adults.
The arrival of immunotherapy approximately a decade ago, with treatments based on immune checkpoint inhibitors such as anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 therapies, radically transformed the prognosis of advanced melanoma, enabling durable responses and prolonged survival in more than 45% of patients after 10 years of follow-up.
“However,” explains Dr. Eva Muñoz-Couselo, medical oncologist at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and Head of the Melanoma and Other Skin Tumors Group at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), who participated in both studies presented in Chicago, “patients whose melanoma progresses after conventional immunotherapy still have limited therapeutic options, making it essential to continue investigating and developing new treatment strategies.”
45% overall survival at three years
In this context, the IGNYTE clinical trial evaluates the antitumor activity and efficacy of the combination of RP1 and nivolumab in patients with advanced melanoma who had previously progressed on conventional immunotherapy. The study included 140 patients, many of them with advanced disease and prior resistance to immunotherapy treatments.
During ASCO 2026, Dr. Michael K. Wong, from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, presented the study’s overall survival results after three years of follow-up.
“After a median follow-up of three years, the overall survival rate reached 45.1%, with a median overall survival of 32.2 months, results that are particularly relevant in a population with immunotherapy-resistant melanoma,” explains Dr. Eva Muñoz-Couselo. “In addition, the difference observed between patients who responded to treatment and those who did not is remarkable, with three-year survival rates of 81.8% versus 21.1%, respectively.”
Intratumoral injections in visceral metastases
Dr. Eva Muñoz-Couselo also participated in a study focused on the safety and feasibility of the oncolytic immunotherapies RP1 and RP2 administered through intratumoral injection into visceral metastases. The results were presented as a scientific poster during this year’s ASCO meeting.
Visceral tumors are those that develop in or spread to internal organs such as the liver, lungs, pancreas, or kidneys. These lesions are particularly challenging to treat due to their deep location and the potential involvement of vital functions.
“In this study, we evaluated the direct administration of oncolytic immunotherapy into liver and lung metastases, a technically complex but potentially highly promising strategy,” explains Dr. Muñoz-Couselo.
A total of 665 intratumoral injections were performed in 105 patients. “The results show that this type of direct administration into deep tumors is feasible and presents a safety profile comparable to routine procedures such as biopsies,” the specialist notes. “From here, it will be essential to continue research to confirm the antitumor activity and potential clinical benefit of this strategy, which could become a new therapeutic opportunity for patients with advanced tumors and limited treatment options.”
“Taken together, these two studies reinforce the potential of therapies based on modified viruses to activate the immune system, overcome resistance mechanisms to conventional immunotherapy, and expand the therapeutic options available for patients with advanced cancer,” concludes the oncologist.
References
ASCO 2026
Session details
Rapid Oral Abstract Session
Melanoma/Skin Cancers
May 30th 4:30 – 6:00 PM CDT
E451 | No Live Stream
9518- A 3-year landmark overall survival analysis of RP1 plus nivolumab in patients with anti–PD-1–failed melanoma from the IGNYTE clinical trial.
Michael K. Wong, Joseph J. Sacco, Gino K. In, Eva Muñoz Couselo, Dirk Schadendorf, Jiaxin Niu, Georgia Beasley, Trisha M. Wise-Draper, Bartosz Chmielowski, Judith Michels, Mohammed M. Milhem, Tawnya L. Bowles, Katy K. Tsai, Celeste Lebbe, Caroline Gaudy-Marqueste, Adel Samson, George Kong, Praveen Bommareddy, Jeannie W. Hou, Caroline Robert.
Speaker: Michael K.K. Wong, MD, PhD
Poster Session
Developmental Therapeutics—Immunotherapy
May 30th 1:30 – 4:30 PM CDT
Hall A – Posters and Exhibits | No Live Stream
2597 – P387- Safety and feasibility of intratumoral injection of RP1 or RP2 oncolytic immunotherapies in visceral metastases.
Caroline Robert, Tawnya L. Bowles, Mark R. Middleton, Judith Michels, Miguel F. Sanmamed, Ari VanderWalde, Jiaxin Niu, Caroline Gaudy-Marqueste, Eva Muñoz Couselo, Gino K. In, Maria de Miguel, Andres Cervantes, Georgia Beasley, Tim Liu, Kumiko Yanase, Christopher Tucci, Danielle Ulanet, Jeannie W. Hou, Gary Vanasse, Mohammed M. Milhem.
Presenter: Caroline Robert
