A review on combinatorial therapies in Melanoma

Abstract

Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer due to its resistance to traditional cytotoxic treatment. However, innovative treatments have changed this disease's clinical trajectory. Understanding cancer microenvironment interaction and tumor oncogenesis led to these breakthroughs. Targeting the oncogenic mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, notably BRAF, and MEK, improves overall and progression-free survival for BRAF-mutant melanoma. Furthermore, recent studies have shown long-lasting responses in a number of cancers after treatment with inhibitors of the immune suppressive programmed cell death 1 receptor (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) pathways to stimulate an anti-tumour immune response. Results from treating melanoma with immune-modulating and targeted therapies are promising. There may be further improvement potential when these drugs are combined. In this review, I will discuss current immunotherapies and targeted medications, as well as the results of combination studies and possible future therapeutic approaches.