Paclitaxcel plus trametinib or pazopanib to treat advanced melanoma

This study wanted to find out which combination of medication is better for treatment of advanced melanoma, paclitaxel (Taxol), paclitaxel plus trametinib (Mekinist), or paclitaxel plus pazopanib (Votrient). The study found that paclitaxel and trametinib had the best response, but had a lot of side effects, and there was no effect on overall survival.

In advanced melanoma that does not have abnormal genes, there are limited treatment options. Paclitaxel is a common anti-cancer drug. Trametinib and pazopanib are medications which target certain protein cancer cells. It is not known if adding trametinib or pazopanib to paclitaxel is any better than just using paclitaxel by itself.

This study consisted of 111 patients. All the patients had been diagnosed with advanced melanoma which could not be operated on. Of the 111 patients, 38 received treatment with paclitaxel alone. 36 patients received treatment with paclitaxel and trametinib. 37 patients received treatment with paclitaxel and pazopanib. All the patients underwent a maximum of six treatment cycles.

The patients who received treatment with paclitaxel and trametinib had a lower chance of the cancer growing in the first six months after treatment compared to the other groups. The patients who received treatment with paclitaxel and trametinib also were more likely to respond to treatment compared to the other groups. However, overall, there was no difference in overall survival between the three groups. In the group who only received paclitaxel, 24% of the patients reported experiencing serious side effects. In the group who received paclitaxel and trametinib, 75% of the patients reported experiencing serious side effects. In the group who received paclitaxel and pazopaniob, 78% of the patients reported experiencing serious side effects.

This study found that adding trametinib to paclitaxel therapy had a positive effect on progression of advanced melanoma, but had no effect on overall survival.

This is a very small study. It needs to be repeated again on a larger scale to see if these results are real.