LluÃs Espinosa, MD from IMIM-Hospital del Mar and CIBERONC speaks about Optimising Metastatic Melanoma Therapy By Combining Two Treatments.
Link to Article:
https://www.healtheuropa.eu/optimising-metastatic-melanoma-therapy-by-combining-two-treatments/109884/
Combining chemotherapy with BRAF oncogene inhibitors may be the most effective treatment for metastatic melanoma, according to a new study.
Researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Hospital del Mar, CIBER Cancer, and the Bellvitge Medical Research Institute collaborated on the study, which found that a combination of chemotherapy and BRAF oncogene inhibitors can successfully cure metastatic melanoma.
The findings were reported in the Oncogene journal.
Metastatic melanoma is the top cause of skin cancer mortality worldwide; now, breakthrough research might give a critical weapon in the fight against the deadly disease. The researchers looked at the impact of combining two forms of treatment to defeat malignant melanoma, with previous research showing that inhibiting BRAF oncogene expression might reduce the capacity of rectal and colon cancer cells to mend after chemotherapy.
Melanoma, both malignant and metastatic
In vitro mice and tumor cells, the researchers evaluated the efficacy of chemotherapy and BRAF oncogene inhibitors alone and together, finding that the combination of the two was superior in all trials after one week of treatment, with the advantages lasting until the end of the treatment.
There are two types of therapy.
Chemotherapy does not cause harm when given in little dosages, according to the study. When used in conjunction with conventional BRAF inhibitor therapy, it has the potential to significantly slow the progression of metastatic melanoma. As a result, the combination of therapies that eliminate tumor cells rather than destroying their development would eliminate the need for extended treatments and potential resistance.
The researchers are optimistic that this approach may be reproduced to treat other types of cancer, such as uncommon types of melanomas that are now untreatable due to BRAF oncogene alterations. The researchers feel that this theory may be easily tested because the therapies are currently being used to treat a variety of tumor types.
The main disadvantage of using a BRAF inhibitor to treat metastatic melanoma "“ the standard treatment "“ is that cancer cells might become resistant to the treatment and regenerate since the inhibitor just slows them down rather than kills them. The researchers are hopeful that combining the medication with chemotherapy would solve the problem, preventing resistance and recurrence.