The role of immunotherapy and molecular-targeted therapy in the treatment of melanoma

Skin melanomas are malignant neoplasms originating from neuroectodermal melanocytes. Compared to other neoplasms, melanomas have a high rate of growth. Their incidence is highest in Australia and New Zealand, in high-income European countries (Switzerland, Norway, Sweden) and in the US. In Poland, the standardized incidence rate is approximately 5/100,000. Melanomas are typically highly radioresistant and chemoresistant. Before the era of immunotherapy, inoperable lesions were treated using chemotherapy based mainly on dacarbazine, temozolomide or fotemustine, which did not yield the expected results in terms of extending survival time or improving patient comfort. Therefore, there has emerged a need to seek other solutions. In most cases, the use of immunological treatment or targeted therapy has had a positive impact on survival time and relapse-free survival. However, these periods are still relatively short, hence the need for further research and improvement of treatment. The most promising strategies appear to be antibodies that block programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) and programmed death receptor ligand-1 (PD-L1) molecules, anti-CTLA4 antibodies (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4) and therapy with BRAF and MEK inhibitors.

Automated summary

Melanomas are malignant neoplasms originating from neuroectodermal melanocytes, with high growth rate and incidence. Previous chemotherapy treatments have been ineffective, leading to the emergence of immunological treatment and targeted therapy as more effective options. Promising strategies include antibodies blocking PD-1 and PD-L1, anti-CTLA4 antibodies, and therapy with BRAF and MEK inhibitors.