Background: Activating mutations of BRAF V600 can be found in 40%-50% of melanomas and are related to poor prognosis. In a phase 3 trial for the treatment of metastatic melanoma (MM) in chemotherapy-naive patients, nab-paclitaxel (nab-P) vs dacarbazine (DTIC) demonstrated a significant improvement in the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS), assessed by independent radiological review (IRR), and a trend toward prolonged overall survival (OS) at the interim survival analysis. The study also explored the effect of BRAF status on the efficacy parameters. Methods: Chemotherapy-naive patients with stage IV melanoma (M1c stage 65%; elevated LDH 28%) and ECOG performance status 0-1 were randomized to nab-P 150 mg/m² on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle (n = 264) or DTIC 1000 mg/m² on day 1 of each 21-day cycle (n = 265) independent of BRAF status. Prespecified subgroup analyses of final PFS and interim OS in subgroups by BRAF status (V600E mutant, wild-type, or unknown) were performed. Results: BRAF mutation status was balanced between the treatment arms, with 36% and 38% of patients with known BRAF mutation status in the nab-P and DTIC arms, respectively. Patient characteristics were also balanced within BRAF subgroups. As shown in the Table, advantage in the nab-P arm vs DTIC arm was observed for both PFS and interim OS regardless of BRAFmutation status. Poststudy BRAF inhibitor treatment was also balanced. Conclusions: In this phase III trial, treatment effect was independent of BRAF mutation status, benefiting all patients who received nab-P vs DTIC. Therefore nab-P should be considered in the armamentarium for all chemotherapy-naive patients with MM. Clinical trial information: NCT00864253.

NE = upper limit was not estimable.