What has NICE said?
Trametinib (Mekinist) with dabrafenib (Tafinlar) is recommended as a possible treatment, in adults, for melanoma that:
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can't be completely removed by surgery or has spread to other parts of the body and
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has the BRAF V600 mutation.
If you have melanoma as described above and your doctor thinks that trametinib with dabrafenib is the right treatment, you should be able to have the treatment on the NHS.
Trametinib with dabrafenib should be available on the NHS within 3 months of the guidance being issued.
The condition and the treatments
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer. Unresectable melanoma can't be completely removed by surgery, and metastatic means it has spread to other parts of the body. One type of melanoma has a change in the cells called the 'BRAF V600 mutation'. This makes it produce too much BRAF protein, and this protein makes the cancer cells grow and divide.
Trametinib (Mekinist) and dabrafenib (Tafinlar) are drugs that work by stopping cells producing the BRAF protein. They can slow down the growth of the cancer. Trametinib and dabrafenib are only for melanoma that has been tested and found to have the BRAF V600 mutation. They are taken as tablets.
NHS Choices may be a good place to find out more.
These organisations can give you advice and support:
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Cancer Research UK, 0808 800 4040
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Macmillan Cancer Support, 0808 808 0000
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Melanoma UK, 0808 171 2455
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Skcin – Karen Clifford Skin Cancer Charity, 0115 981 9116
NICE is not responsible for the quality or accuracy of any information or advice provided by these organisations.
ISBN: 978-1-4731-1951-2