Metastatic Melanoma BRAF Negative

Approximately half of patients with metastatic melanoma have tumors with mutations in a gene called BRAF. These patients are often treated with one of several targeted therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including vemurafenib (Zelboraf®), dabrafenib (Tafinlar®), and trametinib (Mekinist®).

These treatments, however, are not effective in patients whose tumors do not have BRAF mutations. Patients whose tumors lack BRAF mutations are often treated with an immune-based therapy, ipilimumab (Yervoy®). Ipilimumab, which inhibits a protein on T cells called CTLA-4, was the first agent from a class of drugs known as immune checkpoint inhibitors to be approved by the FDA.  SOURCE:  Cancer.gov

As far as my particular situation goes, I am BRAF negative which my Oncologist thought was very positive as far as my treatment options were concerned and I was prescribed infusions of Yervoy and Opdivo monthly.  This treatment regime/protocol lasted about 6-9 months as I recall as my Oncologist suggested that I be turned over to a Radiologist for radiation treatments while I continued to receive monthly infusions of only Opdivo.

The latest news from the leading Cancer Institute in the US, MD Anderson, indicated that the best treatment for patients with my particular Melanoma situation was Opdivo enhanced Radiation.  So, I was set up for 6 treatments of concentrated radiation over a period of two weeks.  Fortunately, I experienced no side effects other than fatigue.

However, the radiation did in fact enhance or SUPER CHARGE the Opdivo and my next scan showed that there was a SUBSTANTIAL DECREASE in my melanoma tumors.  Surgery on my neck later to remove a bulge and suspected Melanoma movement revealed DEAD MELANOMA cells when removed and analyzed.