Ryan J. Sullivan, MD

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, compares the toxicity profiles of BRAF-targeted therapy and immunotherapy used for the treatment of patients with melanoma.

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-targeted therapy is associated with significant toxicity that is virtually reversible with discontinuation or holding of treatment. However, immunotherapy is associated with immune-related toxicities that tend to require active treatment, which is often severe, to reverse, Sullivan says. Patients tend to feel better when the toxicities are resversed, but not all patients do.

Depending on the setting a physician is treating and whether the patients are receiving single-agent or combination therapy, there may be a difference in the rate of permanent toxicities, such as type 1 diabetes or thyroid, pituitary, and pancreatic endocrine toxicity. These types of toxicity require replacement of whatever the gland was making, and these are more commonly associated with immunotherapy than BRAF-targeted therapy.

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Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, compares the toxicity profiles of BRAF-targeted therapy and immunotherapy used for the treatment of patients with melanoma.

Comparing Toxicity Profiles of Immunotherapy Versus BRAF-Targeted Therapy in Melanoma

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, assistant professor of hematology/oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses the role of checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment landscape for patients with melanoma.

Over the last decade, patients with both adjuvant and metastatic melanoma have had limited options until the last decade when immune checkpoint inhibitors were introduced to this space, says Sullivan. These advances include the approval of ipilimumab (Yervoy), nivolumab (Opdivo), and pembrolizumab (Keytruda), among others.

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, discusses the role of checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment landscape for patients with melanoma.

Analyzing the Role of Checkpoint Inhibitors for the Treatment of Melanoma

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, medical oncologist, Massachusetts General Hospital, gives an overview of new and emerging therapies for the treatment of metastatic melanoma.

Read more about the treatment of metastatic melanoma > >

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD | Authors

Articles

Comparing Toxicity Profiles of Immunotherapy Versus BRAF-Targeted Therapy in Melanoma

Analyzing the Role of Checkpoint Inhibitors for the Treatment of Melanoma

New and Emerging Therapies for Metastatic Melanoma