Melanoma cell culture phenotypes I

Recent trials with MAPK inhibitors have shown promising results in many patients with metastatic melanoma; however, nearly all responding patients experience disease relapse. We describe here how melanoma cells respond to MAPK inhibition in a phenotype-specific manner, suggesting that slow cycling invasive phenotype cells provide a treatment-resistant pool from which disease relapse may be derived. The implication is that while MAPK inhibition may successfully treat proliferating cells, another cell population needs to be addressed at the same time.

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Zipser MC, Eichhoff OM, Widmer DS, Schlegel NC, Schoenewolf NL, Stuart D, Liu W, Gardner H, Smith PD, Nuciforo P, Dummer R, Hoek KS