Re: new here.
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Re: new here.

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › new here. › Re: new here.

    • July 10, 2013 at 3:07 pm
    kylez
    Participant

    For your friend, one tumor characteristic restricts use to only about 50% of patients, is whether the tumors test positive or negative for a BRAF mutation. At the facility she's going, that's almost certain to have been tested.

    The treatments getting the most attention right now are in clinical trials, and do not require that mutation. One type of agent is anti-PD1. The 2 that are furthest along in trials are Nivolumab (BMS) and Lambrolizumab (Merck). Another trial is combining Yervoy (FDA approved) with Nivolumab. Another type of agent type called Anti-PDL1 (not anti-PD1) is also generating "buzz" — 1 under trial is MDX-1105 (from BMS). Another new type of agent getting some positive buzz (in very early trial) is a so-called "Antibody-Drug Conjugate" or ADC from Genentech, called DEDN6526A.

    Maybe some of these are options on your friend's list. There are probably some other promising new treatments on trial besides the list above. And maybe the FDA approved (2011) Yervoy is on that list too. It gets less buzz now than the treatments above, but is proven to induce durable responses to (like every other agent) a subset of patients.

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