Phase II, Open-Label, Single-Arm Trial of Imatinib Mesylate in Patients With Metastatic Melanoma Harboring c-Kit Mutation or Amplification

PURPOSE: Melanomas harbor aberrations in the c-Kit gene. We tested the efficiency of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib in selected patients with metastatic melanoma harboring c-Kit mutations or amplifications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-three patients with metastatic melanoma harboring c-Kit aberrations were enrolled on this phase II trial. Each patient received a continuous dose of imatinib 400 mg/d unless intolerable toxicities or disease progression occurred. Fifteen patients who experienced progression of disease were allowed to escalate the dose to 800 mg/d. RESULTS: Forty-three patients were eligible for evaluation, and the median follow-up time was 12.0 months. The median progression-free survival…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China
• CF
  Council for Science, Technology and Innovation
• PF
  Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University