title: New therapies in the treatment of melanoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Therapies targeting immune checkpoints (CTLA-4) and the MAP kinase signaling pathway (RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK) have transformed the treatment of advanced melanoma in the past year. Agents aimed at other therapeutic targets of interest are being actively evaluated in the clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Areas of active therapeutic interest in melanoma include immunotherapy, molecularly targeted therapy and chemotherapy; combinations of these modalities are now under systematic exploration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The evaluation of patients with melanoma now includes the molecular profiling of tumor mutations in the BRAF, as well as c-Kit, NRAS and other genes that have been discovered to be drivers of different subsets of the disease. The analysis of the host immunological response to melanoma is equally important, as a basis for the development of immunotherapies that have been of value to melanoma patients in the adjuvant arena, as well as for therapy of metastatic disease. The understanding of these two facets of the disease will provide a more rational basis for the delivery of individualized therapy for the disease both in its advanced setting, and in the adjuvant arena, in the future.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh, Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh 15213, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Diwakar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Davar
authors.forename: John Munn
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kirkwood
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000187:drug effects; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents