Melanoma Patients Respond Favorably to Experimental Drug, Tests Show

Findings from a phase I clinical trial showed that a new experimental drug may extend progression-free survival in certain patients suffering from advanced melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancer.

The new drug, called PLX4032, appears to offer much greater benefits than current melanoma treatment which typically helps patients survive for a few additional months. In the recent study, PLX4032 extended survival time for approximately half of the patients involved in the study.

"For those who respond to treatment, the average duration of progression-free survival is nine months," said study leader Dr. Keith T. Flaherty of the new drug.  "Some patients are over a year and a half and cruising to two years. In melanoma, that is good. ... The average time for standard treatment is two months."

PLX4032 targets a genetic mutation known as BRAF that aids in the growth of melanoma, with approximately 40 to 60 percent of melanoma patients having tumors that carry this mutation. Melanoma patients without the mutation will not benefit from treatment with the drug.

The phase I study examined 55 patients, 49 of whom had metastatic melanoma. Thirty two additional patients with the condition participated in the extension phase of the study, with all study participants carrying the BRAF gene mutation.

Results from the study were published in the August 26, 2010 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, and showed an 81 percent response rate to treatment with PLX4032 in patients with the BRAF mutation.

Dr. Vernon K. Sondak, author of an editorial that goes along with the published study results, told WebMD that the medication "seems to be extremely effective and causes a very high response rate that happens pretty quickly. It can cause improvement even in people who failed standard treatments. It shows a benefit even in patients with tumors in their livers and other places where traditional treatment bogs down a lot."

Additional information about drugs and drug side effects may be found on DrugWatch.com.