Video

Dr. Sullivan Discusses Role of Dabrafenib Plus Trametinib in Melanoma

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, discusses the significance of the BRAF/MEK combination dabrafenib and trametinib, which was the first BRAF/MEK inhibitor regimen to be approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with BRAF V600E–positive stage III melanoma following complete resection.

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, associate director of Melanoma at the Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses the significance of the BRAF/MEK combination dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist), which was the first BRAF/MEK inhibitor regimen to be approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with BRAF V600E—positive stage III melanoma following complete resection.

About 70% of patients that receive this combination have major responses, says Sullivan. Based on pooled data from the phase III COMBI-d and COMBI-v trials, dabrafenib plus trametinib demonstrated a 5-year survival in the 30% range and a 5-year progression-free survival around 20%.

These results are not amazing, Sullivan notes, but they demonstrate durable benefit in this patient population. This combination can be the best therapy for select patients with melanoma, so it is a matter of identifying which patients this treatment is right for, concludes Sullivan.

Related Videos
Thach-Giao Truong, MD, medical director, Melanoma Program, Cleveland Clinic
Binod Dhakal, MD
Jill Corre, PharmD, PhD
Saad Z. Usmani, MD, MBA, FACP, FASCO
Ashraf Z. Badros, MBCHB
Alexander C. Van Akkooi, MD, PhD, FRACS
Meredith McKean, MD
Thierry Andre, MD, professor, medical oncology, Sorbonne Université; head, Medical Oncology Department, Saint Antoine Hospital
Sanjay Popat, BSc, MBBS, FRCP, PhD, consultant medical oncologist, The Royal Marsden Hospital; professor, thoracic oncology, the Institute of Cancer Research
Toni Choueiri, MD, director, Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology, co-leader, kidney cancer program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Jerome and Nancy Kohlberg Chair, professor, medicine, Harvard Medical School