Targeting KIT for Treatment Of Advanced Melanoma

This is a remarkable time for melanoma research and treatment. Before this year, approved agents available for the treatment of metastatic melanoma were limited to dacarbazine (DTIC) and interleukin-2 (IL-2), with benefits achieved in only a small minority of patients treated with either drug. In 2011, however, two new agents, ipilimumab (YervoyTM) and vemurafenib (ZelborafTM), were approved, with each showing a demonstrable survival advantage in patients with advanced disease.