Dr. Chandra on Unanswered Questions With Targeted Therapy in Melanoma

Sunandana Chandra, MD, MS, assistant professor of medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, discusses unanswered questions regarding the utility of targeted therapy in melanoma.

Developing a greater understanding of when to implement targeted therapies, at what point in treatment, and for which patients is critically important in the melanoma space, explains Chandra.

Currently, targeted therapy is used for patients who have a high tumor mutational burden, elevated lactate dehydrogenase, or symptomatic disease, Chandra says. However, there are likely other instances in which targeted therapy would be beneficial for patients.

Additionally, the variability and durability of responses to targeted therapy and immunotherapy will play a role in fleshing out these questions.

Other questions to be answered include whether targeted therapy should be given in the first-line setting, as well as whether it should be given in combination or sequentially, concludes Chandra.