Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 30, 2026

A Melanoma Patient-Derived Xenograft Model
07:07

A Melanoma Patient-Derived Xenograft Model

Published on: May 20, 2019

13.2K

Cobimetinib in malignant melanoma: how to MEK an impact on long-term survival

Alice Indini1, Carlo Alberto Tondini1, Mario Mandalà1

  • 1Unit of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology & Hematology, Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, Bergamo, Italy.

Future Oncology (London, England)
|January 15, 2019
PubMed

Insights

BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) are standard for melanoma, but resistance limits duration. Combining BRAFi with MEK inhibitors (MEKi) like cobimetinib improves efficacy and survival, with manageable side effects.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Activating BRAF mutations occur in ~50% of cutaneous melanomas, making BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) a standard therapy.
  • Acquired resistance limits the duration of response to BRAFi, necessitating alternative treatment strategies.
  • Dual MAPK pathway inhibition, combining BRAFi with MEK inhibitors (MEKi), has shown improved efficacy and tolerability over BRAFi monotherapy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of cobimetinib, a MEK inhibitor, in combination with BRAFi for melanoma treatment.
  • To explore strategies for overcoming resistance and improving long-term outcomes in BRAF-mutated melanoma.

Main Methods:

  • Clinical trials investigating the combination of cobimetinib (MEKi) with vemurafenib (BRAFi).
  • Assessment of response rates, overall survival, and toxicity profiles.

Main Results:

  • Cobimetinib combined with vemurafenib significantly improved response rates in melanoma patients.
  • The combination therapy demonstrated a median overall survival of 22.3 months.
  • Cobimetinib exhibits a manageable toxicity profile, with uncommon treatment discontinuation due to adverse events.

Conclusions:

  • Dual MAPK pathway inhibition with cobimetinib and vemurafenib offers an effective treatment for BRAF-mutated melanoma.
  • Ongoing research explores the immunomodulatory effects of BRAFi and MEKi for combined or sequential therapy with immunotherapy to enhance long-term outcomes.
Keywords:
BRAF inhibitorsMEK inhibitorscobimetinibmelanoma

More Related Videos

Isolated Hepatic Perfusion as a Treatment for Liver Metastases of Uveal Melanoma09:52

Isolated Hepatic Perfusion as a Treatment for Liver Metastases of Uveal Melanoma

Published on: January 25, 2015

13.9K
A Robust Discovery Platform for the Identification of Novel Mediators of Melanoma Metastasis07:41

A Robust Discovery Platform for the Identification of Novel Mediators of Melanoma Metastasis

Published on: March 8, 2022

2.9K

Related Concept Videos

Survival Curves01:18

Survival Curves

Survival curves are graphical representations that depict the survival experience of a population over time, offering an intuitive way to track the proportion of individuals who remain event-free at each time point. These curves are widely used in fields such as medicine, public health, and reliability engineering to visualize and compare survival probabilities across different groups or conditions.
The Kaplan-Meier estimator is the most common method for constructing survival curves. This...
710
Survival Tree01:19

Survival Tree

Survival trees are a non-parametric method used in survival analysis to model the relationship between a set of covariates and the time until an event of interest occurs, often referred to as the "time-to-event" or "survival time." This method is particularly useful when dealing with censored data, where the event has not occurred for some individuals by the end of the study period, or when the exact time of the event is unknown.
 Building a Survival Tree
Constructing a...
423
Impact of Groups on Groups01:19

Impact of Groups on Groups

Social psychologists analyze how groups influence one another, shaping social structures and interactions through both cooperation and competition. These dynamics manifest in various ways, ranging from economic partnerships to intergroup conflicts that shape societal structures and perceptions.Cooperation and Competition in Intergroup RelationsIntergroup relationships vary across contexts, sometimes fostering cooperation and mutual benefit while at other times leading to conflict and...
246
Long-term Depression01:05

Long-term Depression

Long-term depression, or LTD, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTD is the process of synaptic weakening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic weakening of LTD works in opposition to synaptic strengthening by long-term potentiation (LTP) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
33.3K
Introduction To Survival Analysis01:18

Introduction To Survival Analysis

Survival analysis is a statistical method used to study time-to-event data, where the "event" might represent outcomes like death, disease relapse, system failure, or recovery. A unique feature of survival data is censoring, which occurs when the event of interest has not been observed for some individuals during the study period. This requires specialized techniques to handle incomplete data effectively.
The primary goal of survival analysis is to estimate survival time—the time...
783
Comparing the Survival Analysis of Two or More Groups01:20

Comparing the Survival Analysis of Two or More Groups

Survival analysis is a cornerstone of medical research, used to evaluate the time until an event of interest occurs, such as death, disease recurrence, or recovery. Unlike standard statistical methods, survival analysis is particularly adept at handling censored data—instances where the event has not occurred for some participants by the end of the study or remains unobserved. To address these unique challenges, specialized techniques like the Kaplan-Meier estimator, log-rank test, and...
595