Experiences of treating melanoma with vemurafenib at our institution and a discussion of its adverse effects
2016 Volume 31 Issue 2 Pages 123-127
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2016 Volume 31 Issue 2 Pages 123-127
We studied five melanoma patients with BRAF gene mutations, who had been treated with vemurafenib at our department from March 2015 to May 2016. The patients comprised three men and two women, with an age range of 50 to 62 years and a mean age of 56.2 ± 4.6 years. The clinical subtypes included four cases of superficial spreading melanomas (SSM) and one of acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM). Treatment with vemurafenib resulted in one case of complete remission, two of stable disease, and two of treatment cessation. The patients experienced several adverse effects such as prolonged corrected QT intervals, drug eruptions, and hypokalemia. Based on the experiences of the patients with severe adverse effects, we concluded that previous therapy involving immune checkpoint inhibitors may play a role in inducing severe drug eruptions, and that the combination of vemurafenib and moderate-to-high dose steroids may result in immunocompromise.[Skin Cancer (Japan) 2016 ; 32 : 123-127]
