Advanced stage melanoma therapies: Detailing the present and exploring the future

Abstract

Metastatic melanoma therapies have proliferated over the last ten years. Prior to this, decades passed with only very few drugs available to offer our patients, and even then, those few drugs had minimal survival benefits. Many treatment options emerged over the last ten years with diverse mechanisms of action. Further, combination regimens have demonstrated superiority over monotherapy, especially for targeted agents. Each therapeutic combination possesses different advantages and side effect profiles. In this review, we outline the United States Food and Drug Administration–approved melanoma treatment agents and therapies currently in clinical development, focusing on combination approaches.