More about Genetics and Melanoma

In addition to the Genetic Profiling link in the Sidebar to an article about the work a Mass General, there was a brief article in the June6, 2009 Wall Street Journal, which illustrates why genetic profiling is valuable for cancer treatments. The article by Ron Winslow, "Skin-Cancer Drug Uses Genetics," reports that "... nine of 16 patients with the malignant skin cancer (melanoma) experienced significant shrinkage of their tumors when given a drug know as PLX4032," which is being developed by Roche Holding AG and Plexxicon, Inc.

The genetically signicant fact is that all of the tumors treated had "... a mutation in a gene for a protein called BRAF that is believed to play a critical role in up to 60% of patients with the cancer." The drug is one of a class of emerging products called BRAF-inhibitors. Although the role of the BRAF mutation has been known since 2002, to date there has been little success in efforst to target the defect.

It's too early to tell whether or not this newest effort will prove out, but, to me, it makes the effort at Mass General even more important and gives me some ammunition with which to prod my oncologists and the barest hint of a ray of hope for the future.

C'mon guys, keep kicking in those bucks for cancer research!