Recent Advances in Systemic Therapy for Malignant Melanoma

Malignant melanoma is a major contributor of skin cancer related mortality with increasing incidence and resistance to therapy. Advanced melanoma has a poor prognosis with a median overall survival of 8-10 months and a 5-year survival rate of 10%. A better understanding of melanomagenesis and the tumor microenvironment has led to the development of several new therapies for metastatic melanoma. This review will provide a comprehensive overview of FDA approved novel systemic therapies for advanced melanoma as well as of other classes of molecules under clinical investigation. This paper will also identify the key signaling pathways these therapies target and briefly discuss the utility of biomarkers in guiding targeted therapy.