[New therapies targeting the genetic mutations responsible for different types of melanoma]

A number of molecular alterations have been described for melanoma. Melanomas with BRAF mutations tend to be located in areas of intermittent sun exposure, whereas melanomas with KIT mutations mostly appear in acral areas, the mucosas, and areas of chronic sun exposure. Sorafenib, a BRAF inhibitor, has a cytostatic effect on most melanomas with mutations affecting the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, and is also capable of triggering apoptosis in a small subgroup of these melanomas. By inhibiting KIT, imatinib has a cytostatic and cytotoxic effect on melanomas with KIT mutations, and probably has the same effect on another subgroup of melanomas with other as yet imperfectly understood KIT mutations. For therapy to be effective, agents should be selected according to the pathways associated with the genetic mutations present in the melanoma.