Dr. Nathan on Long-Term Outcomes With Dabrafenib/Trametinib in BRAF V600-Mutant Melanoma

Paul D. Nathan, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, consultant medical oncologist, Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, discusses the long-term outcomes with the combination of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) in patients with BRAF V600-mutant unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

Five-year follow-up data presented at the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting showed a progression-free survival rate of 19% and an overall survival rate of 34% with the combination in this patient population. Notably, of the 19% patients who achieved a complete response (CR) to the combination, 49% were progression-free and 71% were alive at 5 years.

These data suggest that patients with BRAF V600 mutations are amenable to BRAF/MEK inhibition, says Nathan. Those who have favorable baseline characteristics and achieve a CR early on in treatment are likely to derive the greatest long-term benefit from the combination, he added. Given these results, molecular testing for BRAF has become integral to practice. Notably, testing can be sent for in the stage III setting and there are also potent BRAF-directed therapies in the adjuvant setting, concludes Nathan.