title: Emerging targeted therapies for melanoma treatment (review).
abstract: Cutaneous melanoma is an aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis for patients with advanced disease. The identification of several key molecular pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of melanoma has led to the development of novel therapies for this devastating disease. In melanoma, both the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK (MAPK) and the PI3K/AKT (AKT) signalling pathways are constitutively activated through multiple mechanisms. Targeting various effectors of these pathways with pharmacologic inhibitors may inhibit melanoma cell growth and angiogenesis. Ongoing clinical trials provide hope to improve progression-free survival of patients with advanced melanoma. This review summarizes the most relevant studies focused on the specific action of these new molecular targeted agents. Mechanisms of resistance to therapy are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Translational Oncology and Functional Genomics, Section of General Pathology and Oncology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Catania, I-95124 Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Translational Oncology and Functional Genomics, Section of General Pathology and Oncology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Catania, I-95124 Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Bartolomea
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ficili
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Translational Oncology and Functional Genomics, Section of General Pathology and Oncology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Catania, I-95124 Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Saverio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Candido
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Translational Oncology and Functional Genomics, Section of General Pathology and Oncology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Catania, I-95124 Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Franca Maria
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Pezzino
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Territorial Medicine, Section of Dermatology, University of Messina, I-98125 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guarneri
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Catania, I-95124 Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biondi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Translational Oncology and Functional Genomics, Section of General Pathology and Oncology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Catania, I-95124 Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Travali
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA.
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: McCubrey
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion 71003, Crete, Greece.
authors.forename: Demetrios A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Spandidos
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Translational Oncology and Functional Genomics, Section of General Pathology and Oncology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Catania, I-95124 Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Libra
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents