Journal Article

Melanoma

Roesch, Alexander, van Akkooi, Alexander C J, Berking, Carola, Gutzmer, Ralf, Ugurel, Selma, Griewank, Klaus G, Hauschild, Axel, Schadendorf, Dirk, Stang, Andreas

2018

Overview

Cutaneous melanoma causes 55 500 deaths annually. The incidence and mortality rates of the disease differ widely across the globe depending on access to early detection and primary care. Once melanoma has spread, this type of cancer rapidly becomes life-threatening. For more than 40 years, few treatment options were available, and clinical trials during that time were all unsuccessful. Over the past 10 years, increased biological understanding and access to innovative therapeutic substances have transformed advanced melanoma into a new oncological model for treating solid cancers. Treatments that target B-Raf proto-oncogene serine/threonine-kinase (BRAF)V600 (Val600) mutations using selected BRAF inhibitors combined with mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors have significantly improved response and overall survival. Furthermore, advanced cutaneous melanoma has developed into a prototype for testing checkpoint-modulating agents, which has increased hope for long-term tumour containment and a potential cure. These expectations have been sustained by clinical success with targeted agents and antibodies that block programmed cell-death protein 1 in locoregional disease, which induces prolongation of relapse-free, distant-metastasis-free, and overall survival times.

• Publisher: Elsevier Ltd,Elsevier Limited
• Subject: Age / Age Distribution / Antibodies / Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use / Cancer / Cancer therapies / Cell death / Chemotherapy / Clinical trials / Containment / Epidemiology / Family medical history / Health risk assessment / Humans / Incidence / Inhibitors / Kinases / MAP kinase / Mass Screening / Medical innovations / Medical research / Melanoma / Melanoma - epidemiology / Melanoma - etiology / Melanoma - mortality / Melanoma - therapy / Melanoma, Cutaneous Malignant / Metastases / Metastasis / Mortality / Mutation / Neoplasm Metastasis - therapy / Neoplasm Staging / Prolongation / Protein kinase inhibitors / Protein Kinase Inhibitors - therapeutic use / Proteins / Proto-Oncogene Mas / Raf protein / Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Risk Factors / Signal transduction / Skin cancer / Skin Neoplasms - epidemiology / Skin Neoplasms - etiology / Skin Neoplasms - mortality / Skin Neoplasms - therapy / Sunburn & sun tanning / Sunlight - adverse effects / Survival / Threonine / Tumors / Ultraviolet Rays - adverse effects