Individualized therapy of disseminated cancer using malignant melanoma as a model

Approximately 20 to 25% of patients with malignant melanoma will die of metastatic disease. The current standards of care for advanced metastatic melanoma (stage IV, AJCC classification) are poor. To date, randomized trials have failed to demonstrate that one regimen is better than another. It is therefore crucial that patients with disseminated malignant melanoma be recruited into clinical trials. In recent years, there have been impressive advances in our knowledge of the biology and nature of cancer development and the growth and progression to metastasis. The approach "from bench to bedside" is current reality in the treatment of several solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. The identification of new targets to facilitate individualized melanoma treatment is now an important issue. This article will give an overview of recent developments in clinical trials of targeted therapies in metastatic melanoma patients.