Clues on melanoma’s resistance to effective treatment found
Researchers believe they have discovered a mechanism by which tumors eventually evade effective combination treatments for melanoma, providing clues that could lead to longer-lasting therapies for the deadliest of skin cancers.
The two-year study, led by Dr. Roger Lo of the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, looked at tumor samples from 15 melanoma patients prior to therapy that combined a BRAF inhibitor with an MEK inhibitor and after they developed resistance to the drugs.
Previous research found that adding an MEK drug to a BRAF drug significantly lengthened the time before the disease began to worsen. That led to GlaxoSmithKline’s Tafinlar and Mekinist combination, and the combination of Roche’s Zelboraf with the experimental Exelixis drug cobimetinib awaiting U.S. approval.
The so-called targeted therapies are designed to turn off specific molecular pathways associated with tumor growth. The approach can have dramatic effects, until tumor cells develop resistance.
Category: Features, Wellness and Complementary Therapies
