Dr. Daud on Dabrafenib/Trametinib Vs Immunotherapy in Melanoma

Adil Daud, MD, clinical professor, Department of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology) and director, Melanoma Clinical Research, University of California, San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the combination of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) versus immunotherapy in patients with BRAF V600-mutant metastatic melanoma.

There are select patients who are appropriate candidates for the dabrafenib/trametinib combination as an active treatment. Another option for this patient population is to use immunotherapy. There are various factors to consider when deciding between dabrafenib/trametinib, immunotherapy, or observation in these patients. Patients must give their input regarding whether they want a treatment that is oral with greater incidence of reversible adverse events (AEs) versus a lower incidence of AEs that may be long-lasting and irreversible.

There is mature 5-year overall survival data on the dabrafenib/trametinib combination. Additionally, immunotherapy has relapse-free survival data that is relatively short term. The issue is comparing these data to see how they translates side-by-side, concludes Daud.