Nevertheless, binimetinib represents another promising treatment option for advanced melanoma and the first molecularly targeted therapy for the NRAS-mutant population.
In addition, immune-based therapies have shown increasing activity in advanced melanoma and may be particularly effective in those with NRAS mutations.
This retrospective study suggests that NRAS mutations in advanced melanoma correlate with increased benefit from immune-based therapies compared with other genetic subtypes.
In our open-label, non-randomised, phase 2 study, we assigned patients with NRAS-mutated or BRAF-mutated advanced melanoma to one of three treatment arms on the basis of mutation status.
Genomic DNA from a total of 749 tumor samples (451 primary tumors and 298 metastases) in 513 consecutively-collected patients with advanced melanoma (AJCC stages III and IV) was screened for mutations in exon 15 of BRAF gene and, at lower extension (354/513; 69%), in the entire coding DNA of NRAS gene by automated direct sequencing.