Dr. Pavlick on Addressing Unmet Needs in Melanoma Through Ongoing Investigation
Source: Onc Live, March 2023
Anna C. Pavlick, DO, professor of medicine, the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, founding director, the Cutaneous Oncology Program, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian, discusses how ongoing research efforts at Weill Cornell Medicine are attempting to ameliorate unmet needs in melanoma.
Melanoma subtypes are characterized by several distinct, somatic mutations, Pavlick begins. Although BRAF mutations are most observed and targeted in therapeutic development, a large proportion of patients exhibit NRAS mutations, she states. However, these patients often exhibit decreased or less durable responses to immunotherapies, and often progress later in the disease course, Pavlick explains. There is a subsequent lack of interest in developing effective targeted therapies that target NRAS, Pavlick adds.
To address this unmet need, researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine designed a trial to evaluate an oral agent for patients with NRAS mutations, Pavlick details. This trial may advance interest in developing targeted therapeutics for this underserved population, she says.