• Skip to main navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to Footer
  • Navigate Novartis
    • Patients
    • Healthcare Professionals
    • Media
    • Investors
    • Partners
    • ESG
    • Job Seekers
    • Clinical Trials
  • Coronavirus
  • Global
    • Novartis site directory
Novartis logo: a global healthcare company
  • Our Company
    • Our Leadership
      • Board of Directors
      • Executive Committee of Novartis
    • Our Approach
      • Strategy
      • Corporate Responsibility
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Partnering
      • People and Culture
    • Our Business
      • Global Product Portfolio
      • Innovative Medicines
      • Novartis Pharmaceuticals
      • Novartis Gene Therapies
      • Novartis Oncology
      • Sandoz
    • Media
      • Newsroom
      • News Archive
      • Multimedia Resources
      • Subscribe to Updates
    • Investors
      • Event Calendar
      • Financial Data
      • Share Data & Analysis
      • Shareholder Information
      • Environmental, Social & Governance
  • Our Focus
    • Disease Areas
      • Cancer
      • Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Medicine
      • Immunology & Dermatology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Neuroscience
      • Respiratory
    • Platforms and Technology
      • Data and Digital
      • Cell & Gene Therapy
    • Novartis Stories
      • Discovery
      • From Our Labs
      • Access to Healthcare
      • Patient Perspectives
      • People and Culture
      • Live Magazine
  • Our Impact
    • Building Trust with Society
      • Corporate Responsibility
      • Ethical Standards
      • Access
      • Environmental Sustainability
    • Global Health
      • Malaria
      • Sickle Cell Disease
      • Chagas disease
      • Leprosy
      • Novartis Foundation
    • ESG Performance and Reporting
      • Materiality Assessment
      • Environmental, Social and Governance
      • Transparency and Disclosures
      • Positions on Key Topics
      • Statements on Key Issues
  • Our Science
    • Research & Early Development
      • Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research
      • Research Disease Areas
      • Postdoc Program
      • Open Source Science
    • Drug Development at Novartis
      • Novartis Pipeline
      • Clinical Trials
      • Translational Medicine
      • Global Product Portfolio
    • Science Stories
      • Discovery
      • From Our Labs
  • Careers
    • Your Career
      • Global Career Search
      • Teams and Skills
      • Gene Therapies Careers
    • Working at Novartis
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • People and Culture
      • Corporate Responsibility
    • Career Programs
      • Our Career Programs
      • Students and Scholars
      • Novartis Quantitative Sciences Hackathon
Search
A scientist performs tests for cancer research with pipette and test tubes
  • TwitterTweet
  • FacebookShare
  • Share
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Email
    • Whatsapp
  • Jump to Comments
Stories/Patient Perspectives

Your Genes, Your Melanoma

Learn about the role of precision oncology in advanced melanoma treatment.

By
Jeff Legos
Jun 03, 2016

In the 1970s, overall survival rates for advanced melanoma patients were approximately six to eight months – a span of time that remained largely unchanged until 2011. However, these patients are now living three times longer. This is largely due in part to advances made in scientific research that have significantly improved our understanding of this disease.

Advanced melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer and develops when the DNA in skin cells becomes damaged and causes these cells to abnormally multiply and form tumors. We now know that melanoma is not a single disease, but one that can vary from person to person due to genetic changes (often called mutations) that can exist in a melanoma tumor. In fact, melanoma is one of the cancers with the highest frequency of mutations.

Researchers have identified several mutations that can be present in an advanced melanoma tumor. They commonly occur within the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway – one of the pathways that controls cell growth. When something goes wrong at any step along the pathway, a mutation occurs and cancer cells such as melanoma can grow.

The BRAF mutation – found in about half of all advanced melanoma cases – is the most common. Other common melanoma mutations include NRAS and c-KIT. Additionally, there are tumors referred to as “wild type” that do not test positive for a known mutation. Because of these variations, no two advanced melanoma tumors are the same.

Precision oncology addresses genetic differences. Treatment plans can be tailored to the characteristics of each person’s cancer and are not one-size-fits-all.

For many, it can be difficult to stay up-to-date with all the recent advances. Two treatment options include targeted therapy and immunotherapy:

Treatment guidelines recommend genetic testing for all people with advanced melanoma because the type of mutation may play a key role in the development of a personalized treatment plan. Additional factors influencing treatment decisions are disease stage as well as a person’s age and general health.

Doctor listening to patient’s lungs with stethoscope
Patient Perspectives

A patient’s perspective on biomarker testing

 

Shareline

Learn how precision oncology can be used to treat advanced #melanoma
Tweet Tweetpopo
Tags: 
Cancer, Disease Awareness, Living With Disease, Oncology, Patient Education, Targeted Therapy, Gene Testing

Jeff Legos

Jeff Legos

is Senior Vice President, Global Program Head, Novartis Oncology.

    • TwitterTweet
    • FacebookShare
    • Share
      • Twitter
      • Facebook
      • LinkedIn
      • Email
      • Whatsapp
    • Jump to Comments
  • Print
  • Save

Novartis Stories

View all

A couple showing each other data on their phones
Patient Perspectives

Digital innovation looks set to dominate the 2021 healthcare agenda

A woman, accompanied by her caregiver, shares her experiences with a doctor.
Patient Perspectives

Turning the sound up on patient voices in lung cancer research and development

Chinese family embracing exercise and the outdoors
Patient Perspectives

AI Nurse evolving for health failure patients in China

You are here

  1. Home ›
  2. Stories ›
  3. Patient Perspectives

Novartis Global

  • Navigate Novartis

    • Patients & Caregivers
    • Healthcare Professionals
    • Investors
    • Media
    • Society & ESG
    • Partners
  • Contact Us

    • Global Contacts
    • Office Locations
    • For Investors
    • For Media
  • About Novartis

    • Our Company
    • Our Focus
    • Our Impact
    • Our Science
    • Our Stories
  • Our Portfolio

    • Global Product Portfolio
    • Global Clinical Pipeline
  • Careers

    • Career Search

Connect with Novartis

  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • instagram
Novartis Site Directory
© 2021 Novartis AG
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map
  • Cookie Settings

This site is intended for a global audience.