title: Latest advances in chemotherapeutic, targeted, and immune approaches in the treatment of metastatic melanoma.
abstract: Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer owing to its metastatic potential and is an important public health concern. The melanoma incidence has been increasing worldwide. Although potentially curable when diagnosed early, metastatic melanoma carries a poor prognosis. Until recently, systemic therapy for metastatic melanoma was ineffective, but the recent successes in the development of new therapies for metastatic melanoma, such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway inhibitors, anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4), and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway blocking antibodies, as well as combination strategies of cytotoxic chemotherapy and inhibitors of angiogenesis, have all yielded promising results, changing the continually evolving landscape of therapeutic options for patients with this disease. The aim of this review was to summarize the evolution of and recent advances in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive PubMed search between January 1, 1960, and February 1, 2014, using the search term melanoma or metastatic melanoma combined with terms such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, CTLA-4, PD-1, PD-L1, adoptive T cell, targeted therapy, MAPK, molecular biology, and survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak, MI. Electronic address: darshil@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Darshil J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
authors.forename: Roxana S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Dronca
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy*; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / Q000187:drug effects; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors