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CATHY O'LEARY MEDICAL EDITORThe West Australian Scientists believe they have made a breakthrough in the treatment of advanced melanoma, with an experimental pill dramatically
shrinking tumours caused by a genetic mutation found in half of cases. Research released by the European Cancer Organisation in Berlin yesterday shows the pill PLX4032 quickly reduced
tumours associated with metastatic malignant melanoma, one of the most difficult cancers to treat successfully once it has spread. The drug works by blocking the activity of the
cancer-causing mutation of the BRAF gene, implicated in about 50 per cent of melanomas and 5 per cent of bowel cancers. In the study of 31 melanoma patients with the BRAF mutation,
two-thirds of those treated with the drug found tumours reduced by more than 30 per cent for at least a month. Other patients also showed a response but it was too early to say whether the
tumours would shrink far enough. Dr Paul Chapman, from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in the US, who led the research, said the results were exciting. "A lot of these patients
were pretty sick but many of them had a significant and rapid improvement in the way they function," he said. "We've had patients come off oxygen and we've got several
patients who have been able to come off narcotic pain medication soon after starting treatment." Dr Chapman said the treatment was different from standard chemotherapy which interfered
with cell division to stop the cancer cells dividing. The new drug attacked the genetic program that caused the cells to divide uncontrollably. "The drug is blocking the genetics of the
tumour, rather than trying to interfere with the proliferation of the cells and, as a result, there are fewer side effects," he said. "We are seeing some pretty dramatic and rapid
responses, and they are occurring in sites where we rarely see responses to chemotherapy, such as in the bone." Dr Chapman said a larger trial involving several hundred patients was
likely to start early next year and could involve centres in Australia. Cancer Council Australia chief executive officer Ian Olver said it was an encouraging start but many more patients
needed to be treated to confirm the results. GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM THEWEST.COM.AU IN YOUR INBOX. Sign up for our emails