Is there still a role for cytotoxic chemotherapy after targeted therapy and immunotherapy in metastatic melanoma? A case report and literature review. Issue 1 (December 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Simon, Aurélien; Kourie, Hampig; Kerger, Joseph
• Is Part Of: Chinese journal of cancer. Volume 36:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 5
• Publication Date: 2017-12
• Subjects: Metastatic melanoma -- Chemotherapy -- Immunotherapy -- Checkpoint inhibitors -- Vemurafenib -- ATM mutation -- Chemosensitivity; Cancer -- Periodicals; 616.994005
• DOI: 10.1186/s40880-017-0179-6
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1944-446X

Abstract

Abstract Metastatic melanoma has long been considered to have a very poor prognosis and to be chemo-resistant. However, a subgroup of patients with metastatic melanoma presents remarkable responses to chemotherapeutic agents, even in the absence of a response to modern targeted therapies and immunotherapies; accordingly, determining predictive biomarkers of the response to chemotherapies for metastatic melanoma remains a priority to guide treatment in these patients. We report a case study of a patient with B-Raf proto-oncogene serine/threonine kinase-mutated metastatic melanoma harbouring many genetic mutations. The patient did not respond to prior targeted therapies or immunotherapies but experienced a dramatic objective radiological and clinical response to subsequent dacarbazine-based chemotherapy. In the era of targeted therapies and immunotherapies for metastatic melanoma, cytotoxic chemotherapies may still represent an interesting therapeutic weapon in a well-defined subgroup of patients presenting with specific genetic and molecular features.