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VIDEO: Speaker reviews pros, cons of combining targeted therapy, immunotherapy for melanoma
NEW YORK — Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, assistant professor of medicine at University of Chicago, spoke at HemOnc Today Melanoma and Cutaneous Malignancies about the use of targeted therapy in combination with immunotherapy for the treatment of melanoma.
He provided an overview of multiple phase 3 clinical trials designed to evaluate the use of BRAF or MEK inhibitors with PD-1 antibodies. Those trials are assessing various combinations and sequencing approaches.
“I do have to challenge, however, whether continuous dosing is the right idea. There is mounting evidence that suggests mechanisms of resistance are overlapping between BRAF targeted therapy and immunotherapy, and that may, in fact, limit the relative increase we see with triplets,” Luke said.
Luke reviewed various reasons for optimism but also addressed the need for caution with the use of combination approaches for patients with melanoma.
“We are already ... treating patients with combination sequences and trying to sort out what the best thing to do is for each individual patient,” Luke said.
Reference:
Luke JJ, et al. Can we combine targeted and immunotherapy? Presented at: HemOnc Today Melanoma and Cutaneous Malignancies; March 24-25, 2017; New York.
Disclosure: Luke reports consultant roles with Amgen, Array, AstraZeneca, Benevir, Bristol-Myers Squibb, CheckMate, EMD Serono, Gilead, Merck and Novartis.