In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two new anti-melanoma therapies: ipilimumab and peginterferon alfa-2b.
Ipilimumab (Yervoy®) is an injection used to treat melanoma that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable) or melanoma that has spread to other parts of the body (metastasized). Yervoy® jumpstarts the body’s immune system by triggering T-cell activation and proliferationRefers to cell division. The proliferation rate is an indicator of how quickly a tumor is growing. The proliferation rate may be represented as a percentage, showing what fraction of the cells are actively involved in the division process.. The drug is produced by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.
Peginterferon alfa-2b (Sylatron®) is an injection given to patients that have developed melanoma on the skin and have cancer in their lymph nodesA grape-like cluster of lymphatic tissue. Lymph nodes (or lymph glands) filter the lymph fluid that flows through the lymphatic system. Lymph nodes collect fluid from discrete regions of the body and are often examined for the presence of metastasizing cancer cells.. The drug works to prevent recurrence after patients have had their primary growth and affected lymph nodes surgically removed. Sylatron® is produced by Merck.
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