Category: Resources
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Exelixis: First Partnered Program Enters Phase III
Roche recently disclosed a decision to start phase III with GDC-0973 (formerly XL518), a MEK inhibitor licensed from Exelixis (EXEL) to Genentech 6 years ago. The trial is expected to start next month, and will evaluate GDC-0973 in combination with Roche’s Zelboraf in patients with BRAF-mutated melanoma. This is an extremely positive catalyst for Exelixis,…
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Study confirms link between indoor tanning and skin cancer risk
Indoor tanning increases the risks of developing non-melanoma skin cancer (known as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma), particularly among those exposed before the age of 25, finds a study published on bmj.com today. It follows a BMJ study published in July that showed 3,438 (5.4%) new cases of melanoma diagnosed each year in…
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ESMO: BRAF/MEK Inhibitor Combo Bests Monotherapy for Metastatic Melanoma
Phase II results presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2012 Congress showed a 3.6-month improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) for patients receiving both the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib and trametinib, a MEK inhibitor, compared to those receiving dabrafenib alone. PFS was 9.4 months for patients who received dabrafenib plus trametinib compared to 5.8…
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Long-Term Data Show Significant Improvement in Survival With Ipilimumab in Melanoma
Nearly twice as many patients with metastatic melanoma who received a combination of ipilimumab (Yervoy) and dacarbazine were alive after four years compared with patients who received dacarbazine alone, suggesting that ipilimumab has long-term survival benefits and that the combination could serve as an effective treatment regimen. The results of the long-term follow-up were presented…
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New Melanoma Treatment Might Delay Cancer Progression
SATURDAY, Sept. 29 (HealthDay News) — Researchers say they’ve discovered a two-drug combination that delays treatment resistance in patients with advanced melanoma. By targeting different points in the same growth-factor pathway, the kinase inhibitor drugs dabrafenib and trametinib postponed the development of drug resistance in patients with BRAF-positive metastatic melanoma, the study authors said. Melanoma…
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Co-opting a killer virus peptide to combat cancer
Myxoma virus is a decidedly nasty customer, particularly if you’re a rabbit. Or, it turns out, a human melanoma cell. However, recent studies have shown the virus is not known to infect human cells, raising the prospect of conscripting it in the battle against skin cancer. That said, not everyone is going to be happy…
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Dabrafenib + Trametinib Active in Metastatic Melanoma
MONDAY, Oct. 1 (HealthDay News) — For patients with metastatic melanoma with BRAF V600 mutations, combination therapy with a selective BRAF inhibitor (dabrafenib) and a mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor (trametinib) is tolerable and active, according to a study published online Sept. 29 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with presentation at the…
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Dual Kinase Therapy Slows BRAF Mutated Metastatic Melanoma
VIENNA (IMNG) – Combination therapy with a BRAF inhibitor and a MEK inhibitor extended progression-free survival by more than 3 months in patients with BRAF V600 mutated metastatic melanoma, early clinical findings suggest.”This is the first kinase-kinase combination to show enhanced antitumor activity over the single agent,” and the first to show that specific oncogenic…
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The Power of Negative Thinking: Which Cells Limit Tumor Immunity?
Corresponding Author: Michael T. Lotze, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, 5117 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Phone: 412-623-6790; Fax: 412-623-1212; E-mail: lotzemt@upmc.edu Abstract Why human tumors grow infiltrated by specific antitumor T cells has been a mystery attributed to negative factors released directly by the tumor or indirectly through immune intermediaries. The frequency and phenotype…
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The Paradoxical Activation of MAPK in Melanoma Cells Resistant to BRAF Inhibition Promotes PD-L1 Expression that is Reversible by MEK and PI3K inhibition
↵* Corresponding Author: F. Stephen Hodi, Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Inst., 450 Brookline Aveneue, Boston, MA, 02215, United States stephen_hodi@dfci.harvard.edu Abstract Purpose: Selective BRAF inhibition (BRAFi) provides a paradigm shift for melanoma treatment. The duration of benefit is typically limited before resistance develops. Interest remains in combining targeted and immune therapies to overcome resistance and…