A major update from melanoma research was presented this week, with results that may reshape how long patients remain on immunotherapy. The UK-led phase III DANTE trial investigated whether patients with inoperable late stage melanoma could safely stop immune checkpoint inhibitors after 12 months of treatment, rather than continuing the current standard of two years or longer.

The study enrolled patients who had already received immunotherapy and whose disease was stable or responding. They were then randomly assigned to either continue treatment for the full two years or stop after one year. After an additional year of monitoring, the findings showed that 80 percent of patients in the shorter treatment arm remained progression free, compared with 88 percent in the group that continued therapy for two years or more. The difference, while present, was smaller than many had expected, raising the possibility that a year of treatment may be sufficient for a substantial portion of patients.

This result is striking because immunotherapy is both expensive and physically taxing. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have transformed the outlook for patients with advanced melanoma, a disease that was once associated with very limited survival. Yet the drugs also carry risks, including immune related side effects that can affect the skin, lungs, liver, and endocrine system. These adverse events can persist long after treatment is finished, and in some cases are serious enough to require long term medication. Reducing the length of therapy could therefore lower the risk of cumulative toxicity.

The trial also collected quality of life data. Patients who stopped treatment after 12 months reported wellbeing and side effect burdens similar to those who stayed on therapy longer. That suggests reducing treatment time does not come at the cost of worse patient experience. Importantly, shortening the duration could also ease the strain on health systems, freeing up infusion capacity and reducing costs for both hospitals and patients.

Researchers stress that the results do not mean all patients should automatically stop treatment at one year. The trial raises critical questions about which patients are most likely to succeed with shorter therapy. There may be subgroups defined by tumour biology, immune response, or biomarker status that determine who benefits most from early discontinuation. Future studies will need to refine these predictors so doctors can personalise recommendations with greater confidence.

Another consideration is long term survival. While the DANTE trial provides reassuring two year follow up, melanoma can relapse later, and researchers will need to track patients for many more years to ensure that the early stopping strategy does not compromise ultimate outcomes. Still, the fact that progression free survival and overall disease control were maintained at such high levels is an encouraging signal that one year of therapy may be enough for many individuals.

If adopted, this approach could mark an important shift in the treatment of advanced melanoma. Instead of a rigid two year schedule, clinicians may begin to consider a more flexible strategy, balancing clinical benefit, patient safety, and healthcare costs. For patients and families, it also offers hope that life extending therapy might not have to mean years of hospital visits, ongoing infusions, and prolonged side effect management.

The DANTE trial reflects a broader movement in oncology toward refining not only which drugs patients receive but also how long they need to take them. With immunotherapy now central to cancer care, understanding the optimal duration is just as important as knowing when to start. While more evidence is needed, the message from this trial is clear: in some cases, less treatment can be just as effective as more.