In a nutshell The study aimed to investigate the frequency and severity of skin rash-like symptoms known as exanthema and its relationship with treatment outcome with vemurafenib (Zelboraf) alone or vemurafenib combined with cobimetinib (Cotellic) in patients with advanced melanoma. The study showed that the appearance of exanthema within 6 weeks of...
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In a nutshell The aim of this study was to evaluate if cell-free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the blood could predict a patient's response to targeted therapy. The study found that measuring ctDNA could predict how a patient would respond to therapy. Some background Melanoma is a form of skin cancer. Treatment for early-stage...
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In a nutshell This article reviewed treatment options for patients with advanced melanoma. Some background Treatment for melanoma depends on several factors, including the disease stage. Advanced melanoma is diagnosed when cancer can be detected outside of the original tumor. This makes treatment difficult. Currently, there...
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In a nutshell This article investigated the safety and effectiveness of BRAF inhibitors like vemurafenib (Zelboraf) and dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and immunotherapy such as ipilimumab (Yervoy) in a real-world setting for patients with advanced melanoma. The authors concluded that this therapy is safe and...
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In a nutshell This study reviewed other studies about different treatments for metastatic (spread to other parts of the body) melanoma. Researchers suggested that targeted therapy improves overall survival of these patients when compared to chemotherapy. Some background Melanoma is the most dangerous common skin cancer. 70 to 80% of patients are...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This study examined the long-term effectiveness of vemurafenib (Zelboraf) as treatment for BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma. Researchers concluded that vemurafenib is associated with improved overall survival. Some background Over 50% of melanoma patients has a mutation (permanent change) in the BRAF gene. This can increase...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This study investigated the long-term safety and effectiveness of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) in metastatic melanoma. Researchers suggested that this treatment increased overall survival in melanoma patients. Some background Some melanoma patients have a mutation (permanent change) in the BRAF gene. Dabrafenib...
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In a nutshell This study reviewed the currently available treatments for melanoma brain metastasis (MBM; spread to the brain). Researchers reported that treatment should be personalized for the different types of patients. Some background Melanoma has the highest risk of spreading to the brain among all common cancer types. Until the last...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This study analyzed outcomes in advanced skin cancer patients who stopped their treatment of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) due to side effects. This study concluded that many patients still benefit from the combination even after stopping treatment. Some background...
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In a nutshell This review examined the effectiveness of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) for BRAF mutated melanoma with brain metastasis. Researchers concluded that this combined treatment is an important therapy option for patients with advanced melanoma. Some background Some melanoma patients have a mutation (permanant change) in...
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In a nutshell This study investigated the effectiveness and safety of combined treatment with dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) in patients with BRAF mutated stage 3 or 4 melanoma. Researchers suggested that the combination treatment has durable (3 years or more) results. Some background Patients with metastatic (spread to...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This study examined the effectiveness and safety of the combined treatment of vemurafenib (Zelboraf) with cobimetinib (Cotellic) in advanced melanoma. Researchers concluded that this combination treatment is an important therapy option for patients with advanced melanoma. Some background Some melanoma patients have a...
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