Vemurafenib in BRAFV600 mutated metastatic melanoma: a subanalysis of the Italian population of a global safety study

Abstract

ABSTRACT  Aim: We describe the ad interim analysis of the Italian cohort of the global safety study on vemurafenib in patients with metastatic melanoma. Patients & methods: A total of 385 patients received vemurafenib 960 mg twice daily. Results: In total, 330 patients (86%) reported adverse events; 16 serious adverse events were observed (three related to vemurafenib). The response rate was 30.4%. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 5.9 months and 16.3 months, respectively. In patients with brain metastasis (BM; n = 83), median PFS was 4.3 months and OS was 7.6 months. In patients without BM, PFS was 6.5 months and OS was not reached. Median PFS was 12.6 months in patients with M1a stage of disease, 9.6 months in those with M1b stage and 5.4 months in subjects with M1c stage. Conclusion: Vemurafenib appears safe and active in clinical practice, and seems particularly active in patients without BM and low tumor burden.