Cancer specialists have found new ways to fight melanoma with drugs that target certain abnormal molecules within cancer cells. Targeted therapy helps control the growth of melanoma tumors by blocking the activity of abnormal molecules.
The drugs are systemic because they reach parts of the body through the bloodstream. As a systemic treatment, targeted therapy is effective in fighting metastatic cancer, which has spread from the original tumor to other areas.
Trametinib (Mekinist) shrinks tumors and helps patients with advanced melanoma live longer.
Trametinib is a MEK inhibitor, which:
Trametinib blocks the activity of a protein called MEK, a molecule that helps regulate cell growth. MEK is part of a signaling pathway that includes BRAF, another protein. A BRAF mutation signals cells, via MEK, to develop abnormally and divide out of control. These cells grow into a melanoma tumor.
About half of all melanomas have a BRAF mutation. Trametinib acts on melanomas that have the V600E or V600K mutations in the BRAF protein. The drug interferes with abnormal BRAF signals to slow or stop the out-of-control cell growth.
In 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved trametinib to treat patients who have advanced stages of melanoma:
If you have advanced melanoma, your physician will test your melanoma for specific genetic mutations before prescribing trametinib. The physician will send a biopsy (sample of cancer tissue removed from your body) to a special lab for analysis. Trametinib:
Patients take trametinib orally (swallowing by mouth).
The goals of using trametinib include:
Results from a large Phase III clinical trial showed that trametinib provided better outcomes for patients than chemotherapy. However, melanoma experts consider trametinib to be less effective by itself than either BRAF inhibitor (vemurafenib or dabrafenib).
Melanoma treatments, like trametinib, have side effects, which can sometimes be serious. Patients should talk with their physician to learn more about the side effects of trametinib and other melanoma treatment options.
It’s important to keep in mind that not all treatments work for all patients. If you are interested in learning more about trametinib, here are some questions you should ask your physicians:
Patient Assistant Programs (PAPs) are designed so that you still have access to the treatments you need, in any financial circumstance. Learn more about the manufacturer’s patient assistance program and other options here.
Manufacturer’s Patient Assistance
Since 2011, the FDA has approved several effective treatments for patients who have advanced melanoma. Learn more about:
