New Melanoma Treatment!

Summary:

A new drug named Zelboraf was recently approved by the FDA this month. It is designed to extend survival in patients with advanced skin cancer. This is the first new treatment for melanoma in 13 years.

Skin cancer leads to about 8,700 deaths in the U.S. and 66,000 deaths annually worldwide. 80% of these deaths involve melanoma.

Zelboraf targets a specific gene mutation found in about half of melanoma patients. It blocks a protein involved with cell growth. The treatment only works in patients with advanced melanoma who display tumors with a mutation called BRAF V600E. Experts say it could help about 10,000 U.S. patients.

The treatment comes with a diagnostic test called the Cobas 4800 BRAF V600 Mutation Test. It determines whether patients have the type of melanoma Zelboraf can treat.

There are only a few current treatments for melanoma, which do not have much success. Most people with advanced melanoma die within 11 months. A global clinical trial showed this drug could work better than chemotherapy, and was approved more than two months earlier than expected.

The drug is made my Genentech, a U.S. subsidiary of the great Swiss pharmaceutical, Roche. It is not a cure for people with metastatic melanoma, but it certainly is a promising treatment.

When Zelboraf was given in the clinical trial to 675 international patients with the mutation, it showed great results. The FDA said when compared to other treatments, Zelboraf displayed longer overall survival.

The median for patients still living after 8 months was 64% under chemotherapy. The median for Zelboraf was 77%.

Roche said the drug should be available within weeks in the United States. It has submitted drug applications in other countries. "For a lot of people, it works like magic. Two weeks after taking Zelboraf, the cancer is gone. It's amazing the way it melts tumors away."

A section of skin with melanoma, which is a benign or malignant skin tumor containing dark pigment.

My Opinion:

I think Zelboraf is an amazing drug that was intuitively designed. I like that it attacks cancer from the inside out, and is very specific in its function. The wonderful results speak for themselves, and I think this will provide some hope for melanoma patients with the mutation.

Melanoma is a very fast acting deadly disease, so any further advancements we can get are extremely valuable. Hopefully Zelboraf can bring positive outcomes and save lives.

I was instantly drawn in by this article because I am very interested in oncology and I like to keep up with the latest information. There are many things about cancer we still don't understand, and that includes treatments. Anything that can possibly be effective is worth a try in my opinion. Zelboraf seems to be a right turn in the maze of cancer.

Article Link: U.S. Approves New Drug Against Skin Cancer

Thank you so much for reading, and have an amazing day!

-Em Fu The Science Guru