Tolerance of Targeted Therapy Used in Metastatic Melanoma in Patients Aged Over 65 and 75-year-old

Overview

Since 2013, therapeutic care of metastatic melanoma (MM) has greatly improved, especially thanks to BRAF and MEK targeted therapies. The efficacy of these treatments that are now used daily at first line for BRAF mutated MM is widely approved. Their toxicities, in monotherapy or in association, are also well-known: fever, arthralgias, digestive disorders, cutaneous rash, fatigue, photosensitivity, alopecia, cutaneous hyperkeratosis, squamous cell carcinomas, keratoacanthomas, de novo melanomas… However, onco-dermatologists are more and more faced with MM of elderly patients. Indeed, life expectancy continues to increase and the over-75-year-old age group is becoming larger. These patients are still active but much more vulnerable. Nevertheless, there is no data in the literature for this fragile population except the MM pivotal studies subgroups of those over 65-year-old. The results vary with different regimens. Therefore, there is a wide lack of information that could help make a therapeutic decision, inform patients, prevent or treat side effects of BRAF and MEK inhibitors in elderly patients

Since 2013, therapeutic care of metastatic melanoma (MM) has greatly improved, especially thanks to BRAF and MEK targeted therapies. The efficacy of these treatments that are now used daily at first line for BRAF mutated MM is widely approved. Their toxicities, in monotherapy or in association, are also well-known: fever, arthralgias, digestive disorders, cutaneous rash, fatigue, photosensitivity, alopecia, cutaneous hyperkeratosis, squamous cell carcinomas, keratoacanthomas, de novo melanomas… However, onco-dermatologists are more and more faced with MM of elderly patients. Indeed, life expectancy continues to increase and the over-75-year-old age group is becoming larger. These patients are still active but much more vulnerable. Nevertheless, there is no data in the literature for this fragile population except the MM pivotal studies subgroups of those over 65-year-old. The results vary with different regimens. Therefore, there is a wide lack of information that could help make a therapeutic decision, inform patients, prevent or treat side effects of BRAF and MEK inhibitors in elderly patients. This work aims to study the targeted therapies tolerance in over 65 or 75-year-old patients with BRAF mutated MM. The French clinical and biological database MELBASE will be analysed to carry out a descriptive retrospective multicentric study. This real-life assessment of the adverse effects in older patients will result in more adapted therapeutic decisions, better informed patients and improved follow-up care in order to increase quality of life and life expectancy.