Author: Cheryl Stratos
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Two-drug combination best for melanoma
National report — A two-drug combination for metastatic melanoma reduced the odds of progression by 60 percent, demonstrating more effectiveness than monotherapy, according to researchers. The study demonstrated that the BRAF-inhibitor dabrafenib and the MEK-inhibitor trametinib resulted in a median progression-free survival of 9.4 months compared to 5.8 months for patients who received only dabrafenib,…
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Melanoma: The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
Melanoma is so dangerous because it tends to metastasize early on. New treatment approaches utilize, among other things, the ability of the immune defense to search out and destroy malignant cells. Yet this strategy is often only temporarily effective. A research team under the direction of Bonn University has discovered why this is the case:…
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Sensitivity to the MEK inhibitor E6201 in melanoma cells is associated with mutant BRAF and wildtype PTEN status
Background Melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer, but recent advances in molecularly targeted agents against the Ras/Raf/MAPK pathway demonstrate promise as effective therapies. Despite these advances, resistance remains an issue, as illustrated recently by the clinical experience with vemurafenib. Such acquired resistance appears to be the result of parallel pathway activation, such…
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Checking For Skin Cancer: The ABCDE’s of Melanoma
“Checking your skin for skin cancer only requires your eyes and a mirror. Involving a partner adds another set of eyes, which is especially helpful when checking the back and other hard-to-see areas,” said Thomas E. Rohrer, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist in private practice in Chestnut Hill, Mass. “Examining your skin only takes a…
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Dabrafenib in Patients With Val600Glu or Val600Lys BRAF-Mutant Melanoma Metastatic to the Brain (BREAK-MB): A Multicentre, Open-Label, Phase 2 Trial
Abstract Background: Brain metastases are common in patients with metastatic melanoma and median overall survival from their diagnosis is typically 17–22 weeks. We assessed dabrafenib in patients with Val600Glu or Val600Lys BRAF-mutant melanoma metastatic to the brain.Methods: We undertook a multicentre, open-label, phase 2 trial in 24 centres in six countries. We enrolled patients with…
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IFN-gamma specifically targets melanoma stem cells and inhibits in vitro spherogenic growth
Cancer at its most fundamental level involves dysregulated and inexorable local and metastatic growth of abnormal cells, leading to patient mortality. The limited therapeutic benefit of current treatments is likely to relate to the existence of therapy-resistant, virulence-conferring cancer cell subpopulations. One of these subpopulations may coincide with Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs). CSCs are a…
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Dual drug therapy delayed treatment resistance in melanoma
Two drugs being evaluated by the FDA slowed the development of treatment resistance in persons with metastatic malignant melanoma positive for the BRAF protein. http://www.oncologynurseadvisor.com/dual-drug-therapy-delayed-treatment-resistance-in-melanoma/article/264688/http://www.oncologynurseadvisor.com/dual-drug-therapy-delayed-treatment-resistance-in-melanoma/article/264688/
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Investigative therapy for melanoma promising
Combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy of adoptive cell transfer with tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, followed by interleukin-2, is labor-intensive but a feasible therapy with a high response rate in treated patients.
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Relative Roles of Targeted Therapies and Immunotherapies in Melanoma
Anti PD1. Dr. Mario Sznol is Professor of Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine and the clinical Research Program Leader of the Yale Cancer Center’s Melanoma Program. In this interview, Dr. Sznol shares unique insights into these two treatment approaches, including how they compare and how they might be combined
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Dr. Kris on the Combination of Targeted Therapies
Mark G. Kris, MD, chief of the Thoracic Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, discusses a phase I/II trial examining the combination of two investigational targeted therapies for patients with BRAF-mutated melanoma. Kris believes this trial showcases the changes taking place in cancer care, as a result of the molecular revolution. Traditionally, adding two…