Investigational Approaches for Treatment of Melanoma Patients Progressing After Standard of Care

The advent of effective immunotherapy, specifically cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4 and programmed cell death 1 inhibitors, as well as targeted therapy including BRAF/MEK inhibitors, has dramatically changed the prognosis for metastatic melanoma patients. Up to 50% of patients may experience long-term survival currently. Despite these advances in melanoma treatment, many patients still progress and die of their disease. As such, there are many studies aimed at providing new treatment options for this population. Therapies currently under investigation include, but are not limited to, novel immunotherapies, targeted therapies, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and other cellular therapies, oncolytic viral therapy and other injectables, and fecal microbiota transplant. In this review, we discuss the emerging treatment options for metastatic melanoma patients who have progressed on standard of care treatments.