Dramatic improvements in melanoma treatment

Stage III and IV melanoma patients are routinely tested for the BRAF gene mutation, a known oncogene for melanoma. Recently, Vemurafenib, a new FDA-approved drug, was found to be highly effective for patients with previously treated metastatic melanoma that have the BRAF mutation, but patients may develop resistance to this drug. So, researchers at the Moffitt Cancer Center tested six different models of Vemurafenib resistance against an inhibitor called XL888. They found that the inhibitor XL888 overcomes Vemurafenib resistance through a number of mechanisms. After four weeks of treatment, no resistant colonies developed.  According to Jeffrey S. Weber, director of the Donald A. Adam Comprehensive Melanoma Research Center at Moffitt, the discovery of Vemurafenib is “the single most dramatic improvement in the treatment of melanoma in 20 years.”  With this knowledge about overcoming resistance, it will be an even more powerful treatment.