(c) flickr & billadler
進行性黒色腫（メラノーマ）に対し，2種類の薬剤，ベムラフェニブとイピリムマブが画期的な効果を示した。ベムラフェニブは患者675名を対象とした第III相試験で，標準的化学療法と比べ死亡リスクを63％減少し，イピリムマブは患者502名を対象とした二重盲検無作為化試験において，標準的化学療法との併用で化学療法単独と比べて生存期間を約2カ月延長した。ベムラフェニブは半数の黒色腫に関連している変異遺伝子BRAFの阻害により，イピリムマブは免疫の抑制機構を阻害し，黒色腫を認識する抗体などの産生を引き起こして効果を示すという。（吉田素子）
Groundbreaking Advances in the Treatment of Advanced Melanoma Led by Physician-Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
In an extraordinary demonstration of excellence, positive results from two separate studies of new therapies for the treatment of advanced melanoma were presented at the plenary session of the 2011 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology by Paul Chapman, MD, and Jedd Wolchok MD, PhD, members of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Melanoma and Sarcoma service, and lead authors on the studies along with collaborators from more than a one hundred cancer centers worldwide.
Targeted Therapy Advance: Vemurafenib
Pivotal data from the phase three trial of vemurafenib was presented by principal investigator Paul Chapman, a medical oncologist on the Melanoma and Sarcoma Service. The international, multicenter study of 675 patients has concluded that treatment with the new targeted therapy resulted in a 63 percent decrease in risk of death, compared to those who received the standard chemotherapy, dacarbazine. Treatment with vemurafenib resulted in significant tumor shrinkage in 48 percent of patients.
"This is the beginning of personalized medicine in melanoma," said Dr. Chapman. We have seen tumors shrink rapidly, and in some patients, quality of life improved dramatically. It has been a very exciting year."
Half of melanomas have been found to be associated with a mutated gene called BRAF. Vemurafenib inhibits BRAF and shuts off these tumors by targeting and blocking the mutated BRAF protein at the cellular level. The drug is an oral medication taken twice daily.
［単語和訳］
Groundbreaking：画期的な Advanced：進行性の Melanoma：黒色腫（メラノーマ） Researchers：研究者 Cancer：癌
demonstration：明示 excellence：優秀さ therapies：治療法 American Society of Clinical Oncology：米国臨床腫瘍学会 MD：医師，医学博士 PhD：博士 Sarcoma：肉腫 lead authors：筆頭著者 collaborators：協力者 worldwide：世界中の
Targeted Therapy：標的治療 Vemurafenib：ベムラフェニブ Pivotal：極めて重要な phase three trial：第III相試験 principal investigator：治験責任医師 medical oncologist：腫瘍内科医 multicenter：多施設 resulted in：～という結果となった chemotherapy：化学療法 dacarbazine：ダカルバジン tumor：腫瘍 shrinkage：縮小
personalized medicine：オーダーメイド医療 quality of life：生活の質 dramatically：劇的に
be associated with：～と関連している mutated gene：変異遺伝子 inhibits：阻害する shuts off：断ち切る protein：タンパク質 cellular：細胞の oral medication：経口薬
