Melanoma

Expand Collapse Melanoma  - General Description Skin cancer is a malignant tumor that grows in the skin cells and accounts for more than 50 percent of all cancers. There are generally three different types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.

Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma usually appear on sun-exposed areas of the body. The prognosis for these two types of skin cancer is generally good. Both can often be effectively treated through surgery, with a minority of cases requiring radiation treatment.

Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer and arises in the cells that produce pigment (color) in the skin. BRAF is the gene that is most frequently mutated in melanoma. The most common BRAF mutations occur at position V600. Vemurafenib is an effective FDA-approved targeted agent that is available to treat unresectable or metastatic melanoma that has a BRAF V600E mutation. Other melanoma-associated mutations that occur in BRAF also activate the protein abnormally, and can be treated with other targeted agents. Some are sensitive to a combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors. The combination of the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib with the MEK inhibitor trametinib was approved by FDA for the treatment of patients with BRAF V600E or V600K mutations. While less frequent, mutations in other genes have been found in melanomas, such as NRAS, MEK, PTEN, TP53, Cyclin D1 (CCND1), CDKN2,and KIT. Mutations in these genes may provide opportunities for enrollment in ongoing clinical trials. Immunology therapies are also being studied in melanoma for patients whose tumors have been tested for specific characteristics. Immuno-therapies are also being tested in combination with targeted therapies in clinical trials at the MGH Cancer Center.

Skin cancer is a malignant tumor that grows in the skin cells and accounts for more than 50 percent of all cancers. There are generally three different types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.

Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma usually appear on sun-exposed areas of the body. The prognosis for these two types of skin cancer is generally good. Both can often be effectively treated through surgery, with a minority of cases requiring radiation treatment.

Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer and arises in the cells that produce pigment (color) in the skin. BRAF is the gene that is most frequently mutated in melanoma. The most common BRAF mutations occur at position V600. Vemurafenib is an effective FDA-approved targeted agent that is available to treat unresectable or metastatic melanoma that has a BRAF V600E mutation. Other melanoma-associated mutations that occur in BRAF also activate the protein abnormally, and can be treated with other targeted agents. Some are sensitive to a combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors. The combination of the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib with the MEK inhibitor trametinib was approved by FDA for the treatment of patients with BRAF V600E or V600K mutations. While less frequent, mutations in other genes have been found in melanomas, such as NRAS, MEK, PTEN, TP53, Cyclin D1 (CCND1), CDKN2,and KIT. Mutations in these genes may provide opportunities for enrollment in ongoing clinical trials. Immunology therapies are also being studied in melanoma for patients whose tumors have been tested for specific characteristics. Immuno-therapies are also being tested in combination with targeted therapies in clinical trials at the MGH Cancer Center.

http://targetedcancercare.massgeneral.org/My-Trial-Guide/Diseases/Melanoma.aspx Disease Accordion Expanded

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