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Analysis of the genome to personalize therapy for melanoma

Abstract

The treatment of cancer is being revolutionized by an improved understanding of the genetic events that occur in tumors. Advances in the understanding of the prevalence and patterns of mutations in melanoma have recently led to impressive results in trials of personalized, targeted therapies for this disease. In this review, we will discuss the molecular targets that have been validated clinically, additional genetic events that are candidates for future trials, and the challenges that remain to improve outcomes further in this aggressive disease.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Darryl Leja for graphical expertize and Nature Genetics for permission to use figures from paper doi:10.1038/ng.438. This work was supported by grants from ASCO (Young Investigator Award) and M D Anderson Cancer Center SPORE in Melanoma (Developmental Research Grant; 5 P50 CA093459 03 PP-DRP3; to MAD) and the Intramural Research Programs of the National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, USA (to YS).

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Davies, M., Samuels, Y. Analysis of the genome to personalize therapy for melanoma. Oncogene 29, 5545–5555 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/onc.2010.323

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