Weber Compares BRAF/MEK, Immunotherapy Combos in Melanoma

Source:OncLive, February 2016

With 2 different BRAF/MEK combination regimens approved by the FDA, as well as an immunotherapy combination, treatment and sequencing decisions for metastatic BRAF-mutated melanoma can be difficult, says Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, deputy director of the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, codirector of the Melanoma Program, and head of Experimental Therapeutics at NYU Langone Medical Center.

It is still unclear whether BRAF/MEK combinations, such as dabrafenib (Tafinlar) plus trametinib (Mekinist) or vemurafenib (Zelboraf) plus cobimetinib (Cotellic), or immunotherapy combinations, such as the recently approved nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) regimen, should be the standard first-line treatment for BRAF-mutated patients, says Weber.

“I am not taking bets; there are arguments for both sides,” he explains. “But, I do think all of these combinations are not only going to delay progression with these agents, but we are going to cure some of these patients.“

In an interview with OncLive, Weber discusses recent long-term follow-up data of dabrafenib and trametinib that may shed some light on sequencing questions for BRAF-mutated patients. He also discusses an ongoing randomized trial of a head-to-head comparison of BRAF/MEK inhibitors and immunotherapy as first-line treatment.