Dr. Hamid on Melanoma as a Therapeutic Driver for Other Cancers

Omid A. Hamid, MD, chief, Translational Research and Immunotherapy, director, Melanoma Therapeutics, The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, discusses melanoma as a therapeutic driver for other tumor types during the 13th Annual International Symposium on Melanoma and Other Cutaneous Malignancies^® in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida.

The background of everything is that the data that have come out of melanoma is relatable to multiple other solid tumors. For example, BRAF and MEK inhibitors have efficacy and utility in other solid tumors, Hamid explains. There have been data presented on lung cancer and colorectal cancer. Hamid raises the question: what if researchers combine BRAF and MEK inhibitors in these cancers, as has been done in melanoma, as well?

Immunotherapy itself in combination has utility in melanoma and is now moving into other tumor types, such as bladder and lung cancer. The next step, he adds, is taking these data and increasing efficacy for patients with every solid tumor. This is becoming more evident in clinical practice, where melanoma is becoming the therapeutic driver for other solid tumor types. From observation, Hamid notes that patients are now asking how physicians will treat their immunotherapy responsive or immunotherapy non-responsive tumors.