NRAS mutations predict immunotherapy outcomes in melanoma patients

Vitals

Key clinical point: Patients with advanced melanoma and mutations in the NRAS gene had better responses to immunotherapy than did those without NRAS mutations.

Major finding: Of the patients with mutated NRAS, 28% had complete or partial responses to first-line immunotherapy, compared with 16% of patients without NRAS mutations.

Data source: The retrospective study evaluated medical records from 229 patients with advanced melanoma who were treated with ipilimumab, IL-2, or anti-PD-1/PD-L1.

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http://www.oncologypractice.com/home/article/nras-mutations-predict-immunotherapy-outcomes-in-melanoma-patients/d1c2fae745ed4214b2dc359a8be51f40.html?ooct=ONC-cmebox

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Patients with advanced melanoma who were treated with immunotherapy responded better if they harbored mutations in the NRAS gene, according to a study published March 3 in Cancer Immunology Research.

Out of 229 cases retrospectively analyzed, 26% had mutations in NRAS^G12/G13/Q61, 23% had BRAF^V600, and 51% were wild type for NRAS and BRAF. Patients received first-line therapy with high-dose IL-2 (25%), ipilimumab (62%), or anti-PD-1/PD-L1 (12%), investigators reported (Cancer Immunol. Res. 2015 March 3).