Immunotherapy and transarterial embolization in patients with metastatic melanoma: a retrospective cohort study.

Aim: To investigate how the sequence of checkpoint immunotherapy (CPI) and transarterial embolization (TAE) affects overall survival (OS) of patients with metastatic melanoma. Materials & methods: This retrospective cohort study included 65 patients with metastatic melanoma who underwent both TAE and CPI between September 2011 and January 2022. Results: Significantly higher OS was seen in patients who received CPI before and after embolization (22 months, 95% CI 14-NR, p  < 0.001) compared with only before embolization (4.5 months 95% CI, 14-NR). ≤3 hepatic metastasis ( p  < 0.01), more TAE procedures ( p  < 0.001) and CPI sequence (before and after embolization) ( p  < 0.001) were independent predictors of survival. Conclusion: Metastatic melanoma patients who underwent TAE have longer survival when CPI was sequenced both before and after embolization.