A Three-dimensional Ex Vivo Viability Assay Reveals a Strong Correlation Between Response to Targeted Inhibitors and Mutation Status in Melanoma Lymph Node Metastases.

ABSTRACT: Although clinical management of melanoma has changed considerably in recent years, intrinsic treatment resistance remains a severe problem and strategies to design personal treatment regimens are highly warranted. We have applied a three-dimensional (3D) ex vivo drug efficacy assay, exposing disaggregated cells from 38 freshly harvested melanoma lymph node metastases and 21 patient derived xenografts (PDXs) to clinical relevant drugs for 7 days, and examined its potential to evaluate therapy response. A strong association between Vemurafenib response and BRAF mutation status was achieved (P < .0001), while enhanced viability was seen in some NRAS mutated tumors. BRAF and NRAS mutated tumors responded comparably to the MEK inhibitor Cobimetinib. Based on the ex vivo results, two tumors diag

SUBMITTER: Florenes VA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6520638 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature