Current and emerging options for patients with melanoma brain metastases

Melanoma is the most aggressive skin cancer, with a high incidence of metastatic spread and a predilection for metastases to the brain. It represents the third most common origin of brain metastases after breast and lung cancer. With the advent of targeted therapy and immunotherapy in melanoma, along with improved local therapy options such as stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), the treatment of melanoma brain metastases (MBM) has led to significant improvements in outcome. In this review, we provide an overview of management options for patients with MBM while highlighting emerging treatment options. Surgery may be considered for patients with symptomatic MBM, whereas SRS is considered standard for patients with 1 to 4 brain lesions. Combination immunotherapy has led to durable intracranial responses and improved long-term outcomes for patients with asymptomatic MBM. The data available to date have shown that patients with MBM can have a durable response and overall response that are similar to those of patients without brain metastases, and additional trials are ongoing. Mounting evidence suggests that patients with MBM should be considered for inclusion in clinical trials, which range from early-phase trials to phase 3 studies, to accelerate much-needed drug development in this population.