Melanoma shrinkage
August 26, 2010
TRIALS of a new advanced
melanoma drug PLX4032 have
found that it may help to shrink
and control tumours.
The results were found in 81% of
trial participants whose tumours
had a BRAF gene mutation, with
PLX4032 causing it to shrink, and
then keeping the melanoma in
check a median of seven months.
“This is the most important
breakthrough in melanoma, ever,”
said study author, Lynn Schuchter
of the University of Pennsylvania.
Two patients involved in the trial
also saw their tumours completely
disappear, however patients
without the gene mutation reaped
no benefit from the drug therapy.
The drug is a targeted treatment,
which aims to block specific mutations
found only in melanoma cells.
Executive director of the
Melanoma Research Foundation,
Timothy Turnham, responded to
the results saying “[the drug] gives
us something that we’ve never had
before, which is to reverse the
disease for a period of time and
give people a respite”.
“But our goals are much loftier
than that...we’re not just aiming to
buy patients nine months.
We hope this marks the
beginning of an era,” he added.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 26 Aug 10To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 26 Aug 10
