Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 17, 2025

A 3D Organotypic Melanoma Spheroid Skin Model
Published on: May 18, 2018
Systemic Therapies for Metastatic Melanoma
David I Latoni1, Soo Hyun Kim2, Hensin Tsao2
1Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Dermatology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Abstract:
Systemic therapies for advanced local and metastatic melanoma, typically used for Stage IIB or higher, can broadly be classified into 2 categories: immunotherapies and targeted therapies. Immunotherapies work by inhibiting immune checkpoints (ie, disinhibiting immune checkpoint blockade), resulting in greater T-cell anti-tumor activity. Targeted therapies, reserved for BRAF V600-mutant melanomas, are orally-available small molecules that inhibit the function of activated oncoproteins such as BRAF and MEK. These systemic medications carry a significant risk for adverse effects, often affecting the cutaneous, gastrointestinal and endocrine systems.
Related Concept Videos
Tumor Immunotherapy
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
Metastasis
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
The Tumor Microenvironment

