Dr Ronai on Key Advances in Melanoma Treatment Approaches

Ze'ev Ronai, PhD, director, Jeanne and Gary Herberger Leadership Chair in Cancer Research, professor, Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program, Sanford Burnham Prebys, discusses key advancements in the treatment of patients with melanoma, including the discovery of NRAS and BRAF mutations, as well as the development of immunotherapy approaches.

As emphasized in his presentation at the 20th International Congress of the Society for Melanoma Research, Ronai states that the identification of specific mutations, such as NRAS and BRAF, was a pivotal milestone in the field of melanoma research. NRAS mutations in particular are present in approximately half of melanoma tumors, making them an ideal target for therapeutic development, he says. Soon after their development, targeted therapies, particularly BRAF inhibitors, were incorporated into standard clinical practice, Ronai detailed.

Although this drug class improved outcomes for patients overall, many patients still experience disease recurrence or can develop treatment resistance, Ronai continues. To address this unmet need, combination therapies and immunotherapy approaches were then explored. These approaches were informed by novel understanding of genetics and disease biology, he explained. This research culminated in the utilization of immune checkpoint inhibitors, which was quickly established as the primary approach for patient care in melanoma, Ronai says. More recently, researchers have explored immunotherapy and targeted therapy combinations, which have produced even more promising outcome, Ronai reports.

Despite these advances, there is still a lack of curative therapy in melanoma, Ronai ntoes. Moreover, a significant proportion of patients do not respond to existing therapies or develop resistance over time. This underscores the need to explore additional therapeutic modalities, leveraging 2 decades of research to improve upon current standard-of-care regimens, he concludes.