Dr. Richard Carvajal on Selumetinib/ Dacarbazine in Uveal Melanoma

Richard Carvajal, MD, Director of Experimental Therapeutics and Director of the Melanoma Service at Columbia University Medical Center, discusses the phase III SUMIT trial, a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of selumetinib in combination with dacarbazine in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma.

Ocular, or uveal melanoma as it is also known, is very treatment refractory when compared to cutaneous melanoma. Currently there are no approved systemic treatment options for patients with metastatic disease.

The SUMIT trial built on pre-clinical data and clinical data showing that MEK-inhibitor would be an effective data. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS).

However, the study demonstrated no different in median PFS between the experimental and control arms.