Combined treatment of BRAFV600-mutated melanoma with the MEK inhibitor cobimetinib and the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib was safe and tolerable, according to the results of a phase Ib study.
Based on the promising antitumor activity seen with the combination, researchers led by Antoni Ribas, MD, of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues recommended further clinical development and testing of this combination.
Associate Professor Long, clinical researcher and medical oncologist at the Melanoma Institute and University of Sydney, presented the study to the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago this June.
Immunotherapy agents are delivering impressive results in a broad range of tumor types, reinforcing the excitement in research and investment circles for anticancer strategies that actively harness the immune system, according to experts analyzing an avalanche of data presented at the 2014 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.
Lymphovascular invasion and extensive regression independently predicted survival in patients with thin melanomas, according to study results.
The findings are in contrast to the current melanoma staging system and suggest a revised staging system may be necessary, researchers wrote.
