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Immunotherapy (IO) has transformed the way certain cancers can be treated over the past decade—positioning it as a critical pillar in cancer therapy. Unlike surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, IO uses medication that is designed to leverage the body’s own immune system to help recognize and target tumor cells. IO has the potential to help stop tumor growth or shrink tumors. IO can come in two forms: monotherapy (one medication) or dual IO (two medications working together).
Dual IO has become an important treatment option for appropriate patients with advanced melanoma, including those with a BRAF mutation. A BRAF mutation is a change in the BRAF gene, causing a mutant form of the BRAF protein to be made. A BRAF mutation encourages uncontrolled cell growth and division, which could result in cancer, like melanoma. It’s critical oncologists specifically check for the BRAF V600 mutation in their melanoma patients as it is more commonly found in melanoma (compared to other cancers, such as lung, brain, ovary, colon, rectum and thyroid cancers), and identifying it in tumor tissue could also help inform cancer treatment routes.
Specifically, metastatic melanoma with a BRAF gene mutation accounts for nearly 50% of melanomas, with the V600E mutation representing between 60% to 80% of all mutations for this gene. A BRAF mutation is one of the most frequently mutated oncogenes detected in melanoma, more likely to metastasize to the brain, associated with a shorter survival in patients with stage IV tumors, as well as promotes evasion of the immune response. The BRAF mutation more frequently impacts younger patients who have occasional sun exposure compared to individuals who are chronically exposed to the sun.
Targeted therapies, such as BRAF inhibitors, are the typical treatment route for BRAF mutations. However, partly as a result of prior and ongoing sequencing studies, appropriate BRAF mutation patients may be treated with immunotherapies (IO) first. The limitations of BRAF mutation targeted therapies have led to IO treatments being studied in that group of patients.
Actor Portrayals: Dermatologist examining skin of patient. Shutterstock.
Why Dual IO Should Be a Consideration for Certain BRAF Mutation Patients
Dual immunotherapy’s clinical value has grown among melanoma patients and oncologists. Research focused on the further potential of immunotherapies is ongoing.
Oncologists should explore dual IO treatment options when considering the most appropriate course of therapy for their unresectable or metastatic melanoma patients.
ONC-US-2400479 11/24
The post Dual IO in Melanoma with BRAF Gene Mutations first appeared on Physician's Weekly.