For many years melanoma was considered a significant challenge by oncologists. In 2011 the story changed because of the approval of ipilimumab, an anti-CTLA4 monoclonal antibody, and vemurafenib, a BRAF inhibitor active on BRAF mutated melanoma. These two revolutionary drugs completely changed the management of metastatic melanoma and, for the first time, became possible to achieve a significative impact on overall survival. To improve the efficacy of ipilimumab and vemurafenib have been designed clinical trials, now ongoing, of combination with other targeted agents (e.g. MEK inhibitors) and immunotherapeutic compounds (e.g. anti-PD-L1). Other possible combinations of these two new drugs can be in association with surgery, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. However new targeted drugs combination or a sequence of combined therapies represent the future treatment not only for melanoma, but for about all solid tumors.
For many years melanoma was considered a significant challenge by oncologists. In 2011 the story changed because of the approval of ipilimumab, an anti-CTLA4 monoclonal antibody, and vemurafenib, a BRAF inhibitor active on BRAF mutated melanoma. These two revolutionary drugs completely changed the management of metastatic melanoma and, for the first time, became possible to achieve a significative impact on overall survival. To improve the efficacy of ipilimumab and vemurafenib have been designed clinical trials, now ongoing, of combination with other targeted agents (e.g. MEK inhibitors) and immunotherapeutic compounds (e.g. anti-PD-L1). Other possible combinations of these two new drugs can be in association with surgery, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. However new targeted drugs combination or a sequence of combined therapies represent the future treatment not only for melanoma, but for about all solid tumors.
