Extended survival in metastatic melanoma with immunotherapy and re-challenge: about a case

Abstract

Introduction: Most melanomas are in the skin (95%), and it is less common in the mucosa (oral, digestive tract, genital), retina or meninges (5%), 3% of patients develop hidden melanomas. Despite not being the most frequent skin cancer, melanoma is a tumor that has great molecular complexity, being the tumor with the highest proportion of mutations. Studying some of these mutations is important when establishing treatment strategies, and the study of the presence or absence of mutations in the BRAF oncogene is undoubtedly essential today. Thus, the BRAF V600 E mutation occurs in approximately 60% of patients with melanoma. Objectives: To demonstrate the extended survival of metastatic melanoma with the use of immunotherapy. Methodology: Next, we present a documentary, analytical and correlational investigation of a patient diagnosed with metastatic melanoma at the Dr. Julio Villacreses Colmont Oncology Hospital in the Clonic Oncology service. Clinical and imaging data were collected from the clinical history. Results: In our case report, the patient underwent 37 treatment cycles with pembrolizumab for 2 years, observing an improvement in survival of 53 months with 12 months without relapse. Subsequently, rechallenge was performed for 7 months with pembrolizumab. Conclusions: Immunotherapy has shown improved overall survival for people with BRAF-mutant advanced melanoma. It was shown that the administration of pembrolizumab improved patient survival for a period of 53 months. General study area: Medicine. Specific area of ​​study: Oncology. Article type: Clinical Case.