By now, it has become readily apparent to most that protracted exposure to the sun and UV rays leads to increased incidences of skin cancer, with melanoma leading the way as the most deadly form. What has had scientists perplexed in recent years is not the cause of melanoma, but the mechanisms underlying the switch to a drug-resistance phenotype toward a group of commonly prescribed drugs called BRAF inhibitors.
MRV Research
Nivolumab Appears Safe, Effective in Wild-Type, Mutant BRAF Melanoma
Nivolumab has similar efficacy and safety outcomes in patients with wild-type or mutant BRAF metastatic melanoma, regardless of prior treatment with a BRAF inhibitor or ipilimumab, a recent study published in JAMA Oncology.
Personalized vaccines provoke antitumor activity in melanoma
A dendritic cell vaccine targeted at patient-specific neoantigens expanded the antitumor immune response in patients with melanoma, according to study results.
Neoantigens for Personalized Immunotherapy May Boost Melanoma Treatment
Abnormal driver mutations contribute to tumor progression and have been prime targets for many therapeutic studies in oncology; however, researchers are focusing more and more on the less-studied passenger mutations and their role in tumor progression. Taking this approach, Careeno et al analyzed somatic mutations in melanoma as a potential source for patient-specific neoantigens capable of eliciting an immune response