Introduction
Dabrafenib (trade name: Tafinlar) and trametinib (trade name: Mekinist) have been approved in Germany since 2013 and June 2014 respectively for the treatment of melanoma in adults that can't be surgically removed or that has already formed distant metastases. They have also been approved for use in combination with each other since 2015. Since August 2018, the combination has also been approved for use as supportive (adjuvant) therapy after surgery to remove melanoma that had spread to the lymph nodes. These medications – alone, or in combination with each other – are options for people who have a mutated protein in their tumor tissue (BRAF V600 mutation) that can lead to uncontrolled tumor growth.
Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer. It starts growing in the cells that produce the dark pigment in skin. Melanomas are usually surgically removed. But they are sometimes too large to be removed or may have spread to other parts of the body (metastatic tumors) through the blood or lymphatic system. If this happens, it is called advanced melanoma.
Dabrafenib aims to inhibit the mutated protein in order to prevent tumor growth, while trametinib blocks an alternative signal route, also stopping tumor growth.
