Cancer Treatment Today

Zelboraf(vemurafenib) is anti BRAF kinase inhibitor. ZELBORAF™ is indicated for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma with BRAFV600E mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test.  More than 30 mutations of the BRAF gene associated with human cancers have been identified. However, most of them work thorugh pathways and in a similar way to the BRAF-E. With this in mind, other BRAF mutations than E should also respond

Yervoy is recently approved drug that induces an ummune response against melanoma cells. )Some patients have only a partial response or progress afer responding, and owing to there not being many other good options, many doctors would retreat in such a situation. However, Yervoy is a toxic drug and the decision to use it again is not a trivial one. It is , unfortunately, not known whether retreatment is beneficial. There is a study looking at

Melanoma after treatment needs to be followed either by doctor exams, imaging or both. As better treatments appear, there is a growing realization that more and more patients have no evidence of disease for longer periods of time, but some of them will relapse, so how should  they be followed? The role of PET in melanoma is not fully defined. The most recent review by Petrella and others concluded: "PET scanning facilitates the appropriate management

Spitz nevus is a benign tumor that can be distinguished from melanoma in most instances. However, as stated by Allen and Spitz in 1953, in some circumstances, unequivocal distinction between Spitz nevus and melanoma is practically impossible. Some cases are difficult to distinguish from melanoma. Other cases turn out to be of higher risk and don’t behave like Spitz tumors. I consider a decision appropriate to treat it as melanoma after a consideration