Dr. Robert on 5-Year Analysis of Dabrafenib/Trametinib in BRAF V600-Mutant Melanoma

Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, head of the Dermatology Unit in Gustave Roussy Cancer Center, Villejuif-Paris, France, discusses results of a 5-year analysis evaluating the long-term effects of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) in patients with BRAF V600—mutant unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

Long-term follow-up of these data show that 20% of patients who were treated with the BRAF/MEK inhibitor combination did not experience disease progression, and approximately one-third of patients were alive. However, more work needs to be done on these patient characteristics. Thus far, it has been identified that patients who do well on this therapy have low tumor burden and low lactate dehydrogenase levels.

Next steps involve best combining the targeted regimens with immunotherapy, or whether they should be administered sequentially, Robert says. Researchers are also aiming to find ways to increase the number of complete responders to the combination regimen, she concludes.

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