?Impact of BRAF inhibitors on the immune microenvironment in melanoma?.

FLORENCIA VEIGAS, GABRIELA GREMEL, ANABELA CUTINE, YAMIL MAHMOUD, SANTIAGO MENDEZ-HUERGO, JUAN CARLOS STUPIRSKI, ROSA MORALES, SABRINA GATTO, JUAN MANUEL PEREZ SAEZ, KARINA MARIÑO, RICHARD MARAIS, GABRIEL ADRIÁN RABINOVICH AND GIROTTI MR.

Congreso; Joint meeting of Bioscience Societies 2017; 2017

SAI-SAIC-SAIB-SAB

BRAF is mutated in 50% of melanoma patients. BRAF is a component of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway and BRAF or MEK inhibitors increase progression-free and overall survival in BRAF- mutant patients. However, most patients relapse with acquired resistance and ~20% of patients present intrinsic resistance. Preclinical and translational studies have shown that targeting the RAS/BRAF/MEK/ERK pathway has effects on the expression of immunomodulatory pathways. Most patients who develop resistance to targeted therapies derive little benefit from anti-CTLA-4 and anti PD-1 based immunotherapies. Are galectin/glycan interactions responsible for the lack of response to immunotherapy after development of resistance to targeted therapy in melanoma?