Targeted therapy for melanoma skin cancer
Targeted therapy uses drugs to target specific molecules (such as proteins) on cancer cells or inside them. These molecules help send signals that tell cells to grow or divide. By targeting these molecules, the drugs stop the growth and spread of cancer cells and limit harm to normal cells. Targeted therapy may also be called molecular targeted therapy.
Some people with melanoma skin cancer have targeted therapy. If you have targeted therapy, your healthcare team will use what they know about the cancer and about your health to plan the drugs, doses and schedules.
You may have targeted therapy to:
- stop or control the growth and spread of cancer cells
- lower the risk that the cancer will come back (recur) after surgery
- shrink metastatic melanoma
Types of targeted therapy for melanoma skin cancer
About half of all melanomas have changes (mutations) in the BRAF gene, specifically a BRAF V600E or BRAF V600K mutation. The mutation changes the BRAF protein, causing melanoma cells to grow and divide out of control.
Mutations in the MEK gene and the C-KIT gene may also happen with melanoma. But these happen much less often than BRAF gene mutations.
Most people with melanoma that has spread to nearby lymph nodes or other parts of the body (called locoregional or metastatic melanoma) will have a sample of the cancer tested for the BRAF, MEK and C-KIT gene mutations. Melanomas that test positive for any of these gene mutations may respond to certain targeted therapy drugs.
The following are the targeted therapy drugs used for locoregional, locally recurrent and metastatic melanoma.
BRAF inhibitors target the BRAF protein directly to help shrink and control the growth of the melanoma. The BRAF inhibitors used for melanoma are:
- vemurafenib (Zelboraf)
- dabrafenib (Tafinlar)
- encorafenib (Braftovi)
MEK inhibitors control the growth of melanoma cells by blocking the MEK protein. Since the MEK protein is normally turned on (activated) by the BRAF protein, MEK inhibitors are another way to treat melanomas with BRAF gene mutations. A MEK inhibitor is usually combined with a BRAF inhibitor. The MEK inhibitors used for melanoma are:
- cobimetinib (Cotellic)
- trametinib (Mekinist)
- binimetinib (Mektovi)
C-KIT inhibitors target the C-KIT protein to help stop the growth of the melanoma. The C-KIT inhibitor used for melanoma is imatinib (Gleevec).
Targeted therapy drugs for melanoma are taken as a pill by mouth (orally) daily. A BRAF inhibitor is usually combined with a MEK inhibitor. How long treatment is given depends on the type of drug used and how well the cancer responds to the treatment.
Side effects of targeted therapy
Side effects of targeted therapy will depend mainly on the type of drug or combination of drugs, the dose and your overall health. Tell your healthcare team if you have side effects that you think are from targeted therapy. The sooner you tell them of any problems, the sooner they can suggest ways to help you deal with them.
BRAF and MEK inhibitors may cause these side effects:
- skin problems, such as rash and dryness
- sensitivity to the sun
- muscle, bone and joint pain
- fatigue
- nausea and vomiting
- diarrhea
- fever
- eye problems
- liver problems
- swelling (edema)
Find out more about targeted therapy
Find out more about targeted therapy. To make the decisions that are right for you, ask your healthcare team questions about targeted therapy.
Details on specific drugs change regularly. Find out more about sources of drug information and where to get details on specific drugs.