{"id":40,"date":"2018-01-30T21:03:43","date_gmt":"2018-01-31T02:03:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/melanoma\/treatment\/targeted-therapy\/"},"modified":"2025-08-12T12:31:54","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T16:31:54","slug":"targeted-therapy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.saintjohnscancer.org\/melanoma\/treatment\/targeted-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Targeted Therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":22,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-40","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"layers":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layer_content_sidebar","layer_label":"","layer_headline":"","layer_intro":"","layer_content":"
\"Saint
The Saint John’s Health Center is located in Santa Monica, CA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At Saint John\u2019s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, we adopt a multidisciplinary approach to care, involving specialists across various disciplines. These experts participate in cancer tumor boards, where they evaluate and discuss each case in detail. This collaborative effort ensures that every patient receives a comprehensive and personalized treatment plan, leveraging the collective expertise of surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, and other healthcare professionals. <\/p>\n

Targeted therapy for melanoma represents a promising approach to treating this aggressive form of skin cancer. These therapies are designed to specifically target molecular changes within melanoma tumor cells, offering a more precise treatment option compared to traditional chemotherapy.<\/p>\n

BRAF\/MEK Inhibitors – A Cornerstone of Targeted Therapy Melanoma<\/h2>\n

One of the most common targets for melanoma treatment is the BRAF gene. About half of all melanomas have mutations in the BRAF gene, which leads to uncontrolled cell growth. BRAF inhibitors, such as vemurafenib (Zelboraf), dabrafenib (Tafinlar), and encorafenib (Braftovi), are designed to block the activity of the mutated BRAF protein, thereby slowing down or stopping the growth of cancer cells. These drugs are often used in combination with MEK inhibitors, like trametinib (Mekinist), cobimetinib (Cotellic), and binimetinib (Mektovi), which target the MEK protein that works closely with BRAF. Combining BRAF and MEK inhibitors has been shown to be more effective than using either drug alone, as it helps to prevent the cancer cells from developing resistance to treatment.<\/p>\n

\"C-kit
C-kit inhibitors are used to block the activity of the c-KIT protein.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

C-kit Inhibitors for Melanoma Treatment Options<\/h2>\n

C-kit mutations are less common in melanoma but can be found in specific subtypes such as mucosal and acral lentiginous melanomas. C-kit inhibitors, like imatinib (Gleevec), sunitinib (Sutent), and regorafenib (Stivarga), are used to block the activity of the c-KIT protein, which is involved in cell growth and survival. These drugs have shown promising results in treating gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) and are currently being studied for their effectiveness in advanced melanoma cases.<\/p>\n

Usage and Side Effects of Targeted Treatments<\/h2>\n

Targeted therapies for melanoma are typically administered as oral pills, making them more convenient than traditional chemotherapy. They are used in metastatic Stage IV melanoma and have recently been approved for use as adjuvant therapy in Stage III melanoma after surgery. Unlike standard cytotoxic chemotherapy, which targets all rapidly dividing cells, targeted treatments focus specifically on cancer cells, leading to a different set of side effects. <\/p>\n

Common Side Effects<\/h3>\n