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. 2019 Mar 19;10:453. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00453

Table 1.

Approved targeted, antibody and other immunotherapies and combination treatments for malignant melanoma.

Drug Target Mechanism Indication Approval
MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY MONOTHERAPIES
Ipilimumab CTLA-4 Human IgG1 monoclonal antibody blockade Advanced unresectable metastatic melanoma 2011
Nivolumab PD-1 Human IgG4 monoclonal antibody blockade Advanced metastatic melanoma ± refractory to ipilimumab 2014*
*2017: Approved as adjuvant treatment for melanoma with involvement of lymph nodes or for patients with metastatic disease who have undergone complete resection
Pembrolizumab PD-1 Humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody blockade Unresectable melanoma—stage III/IV 2014
COMBINED MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THERAPIES
Ipilimumab + nivolumab CTLA-4 + PD-1 Monoclonal antibody blockade Unresectable melanoma—stage III/IV PD-L1 negative 2015
TYROSINE KINASE INHIBITOR MONOTHERAPIES
Vemurafenib BRAF BRAF inhibitor causing programmed cell death via interruption of MAPK pathway Unresectable BRAFV600 mutant melanoma 2011
Dabrafenib BRAF inhibitor BRAF inhibitor causing programmed cell death via interruption of MAPK pathway Unresectable BRAFV600 mutant melanoma (not wild-type) 2013
Trametinib MEK inhibitor MEK1 and 2 inhibitor causing cell death via interruption of MAPK pathway Unresectable BRAFV600E/K mutant melanoma (not to be used post BRAF inhibitor) 2013
COMBINED TYROSINE KINASE INHIBITOR THERAPIES
Dabrafenib + trametinib BRAF + MEK BRAF+MEK inhibition Unresectable BRAFV600E/K mutant melanoma 2013
Vemurafenib + cobimetinib BRAF + MEK BRAF+MEK inhibition BRAFV600 mutant melanoma 2015**
**2018: Approved as adjuvant treatment for patients with nodal involvement and following complete resection
OTHER TARGETED AND IMMUNE THERAPIES
Interferon IFNα2b Systemic IFNα2b administration results in immunostimulatory effects including an increase in tumor-infiltration, decrease in circulating T-regs and modulation of STAT1/STAT3 balance Adjuvant therapy for stage III melanoma (cancer free but at high risk of recurrence) Adjuvant therapy for stage IIB or IIC melanoma with primary lesions >4mm thickness 1995
Aldesleukin IL-2 Systemic IL-2 administration promotes T cell proliferation and stimulates CD8 and NK cell cytotoxicity Metastatic melanoma 1998
T-VEC Oncolytic herpes simplex virus Local and direct infection and killing of tumor cells Unresectable stage IIIB, IIIC or IV melanoma 2015