In conclusion, there is no prognostic value of BRAFV600E mutation on overall survival in stage I-III melanoma patients, yet its presence might indicate a decreased risk for development of relapse and/or metastasis in stage III melanoma patients.
In this phase III trial, patients with resected BRAF V600-mutant stage III melanoma were randomly assigned to 12 months of adjuvant dabrafenib plus trametinib versus placebo.
We sought to determine whether adjuvant dabrafenib plus trametinib would improve outcomes in patients with resected, stage III melanoma with BRAF V600 mutations.
The aim was to examine if cellular immune markers in association with tumor proliferation rate and BRAF mutation status have an impact on prognosis in stage III melanoma.
However, the chief limitation of continuous BRAF inhibition is that the majority of patients develop resistance within 8 months, including those with surgically unresectable stage III melanoma.
Knowledge of outcomes following therapeutic lymphadenectomy for stage III melanoma related to BRAF status may guide adjuvant use of BRAF/MEK inhibitors along with established and future therapies.