Disease-Free Survival Gains Reported for Vemurafenib in Stage IIC-IIIB Melanoma

Source: OncLive, September 2017

Adjuvant therapy with vemurafenib (Zelboraf) for high-risk melanoma led to mixed results, as patients with stage IIIC did not benefit, but those with earlier stage disease did, according to data reported at the 2017 ESMO Congress in Madrid.
Patients with stage IIIC disease experienced a median disease-free survival (DFS) of 23.1 months in the BRAF inhibitor arm versus 15.4 months in the placebo arm. However, the difference did not achieve statistical significance. Patients with stage IIC-IIIB had a non-statistically significant 46% reduction in the hazard ratio (HR) for DFS, but the trial design defined a positive outcome on the basis of results in later-stage disease.
“Vemurafenib monotherapy is an effective and well-tolerated adjuvant option for patients with resected stage IIC to IIIB, BRAF V600-positive melanoma,” said Karl Lewis, MD, a medical oncologist at the University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center in Aurora, Colorado. “Further exploration is needed to improve outcomes in patients with [resected later-stage disease].”