Melanoma Drugs (BRAF Inhibitors) Have Unintended Effects in Some Tumors..Jim Breitfeller

Some patients with advanced melanoma have had dramatic responses to a new class of targeted drugs in early stage clinical trials. While the long-term effects of these drugs, called BRAF inhibitors, are not yet known, two reports suggest that these drugs may have unintended consequences in patients whose tumors lack mutations in the BRAF gene.

In separate studies, scientists in Great Britain and the United States tested the drugs in the laboratory to better understand how BRAF inhibitors behave in cells. To their surprise, the drugs actually spurred the growth of some tumors. The preliminary findings raise the possibility that certain patients should not receive BRAF inhibitors because the drugs could make their cancers worse.

Source:NCI Cancer Bulletin February


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Jimmy B

Melanoma_Missionary


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