Medscape: New triplet regimen thought to boost melanoma survival, but at a cost
UC expert says more research on survival benefit needed
New research shows a combination therapy of three drugs for metastatic melanoma patients may provide significant survival benefits, but questions remain whether the regimen is cost effective.
Rekha Chaudhary, MD, adjunct associate professor at the UC College of Medicine and a UC Health oncologist, reviewed the research and said the triplet regimen makes sense for young and fit patients.
"However, this is a highly selected patient population," Chaudhary told Medscape. "There has been no overall survival benefit reported yet, so before we make final decisions, it would be nice to know if you really need all three drugs together at the same time or can you use them sequentially."
Chaudhary noted all three drugs are being used to treat metastatic melanoma currently in a sequential order, so she is skeptical if the cost effectiveness of the triplet regimen is an issue.
Featured photo at top of Dr. Chaudhary. Photo/Colleen Kelley/University of Cincinnati.
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