Management of V600E and V600K BRAF -Mutant Melanoma

Opinion statementThe optimal management of advanced stageBRAF-mutated melanoma is widely debated and complicated by the availability of several different regimens that significantly improve outcomes but have not been directly compared. While there are many unanswered questions relevant to this patient population, the major uncertainty in current practice is the choice between BRAF/MEK inhibitors or immunotherapy for those with previously untreated metastatic or high-risk disease. Decisions regarding first line therapy should include consideration of patient preference as well as the presence of symptomatic metastatic disease and degree of comorbidity, particularly secondary to any history of severe auto-immune disorder.BRAF/MEK inhibitors have a high response rate and rapid onset and thus can be quickly introduced when patients are symptomatic. They have also produced long-term responses in a subset of patients with more favorable prognostic indicators. In addition, impressive survival benefits have also been observed in patients with resected stage 3 disease at high risk of recurrence. On the other hand, anti-PD-1 monotherapy is associated with high rates of clinical benefit (~45% response rate in the metastatic setting) and low rates of severe toxicity. In many patients with adverse prognostic features, we use combined anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 for metastatic disease. While associated with high rates of toxicity, adverse events are largely manageable with corticosteroids an...
Source: Current Treatment Options in Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research