There is an estimation of approximately 73,870 cases diagnosed with melanoma skin cancers in U.S. in the year 2015. There has been a rise in cases of melanoma since last years. 

Interferon alpha is used in treatment of melanoma and can aid in shrinking the melanomas in advanced stages in some patients. It is also used for prevention of regrowth and spread of cancer cells after surgery. A study by Dana Pe’er and group at Columbia University and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center studied the changes in MEK inhibition transcriptional responses in melanoma cell lines.

The study shows that type I interferon increase the cytotoxic activity of MEK inhibitors. Variations in the transcriptional responses towards MEK inhibition was observed in different cell lines. A computational method developed by the researchers for identification of context-specific targets and was referred as COSPER (context- specific regulation). Only the cell lines which demonstrated low activity of interferon pathway showed enhanced cytotoxic responses to MEK inhibition. The researchers also suggest the possibility of using Interferon activity and levels of Interferon expression as biomarker for categorizing patients in respondents and non-respondents to MAPK pathway inhibitors.

Follow up studies can further help in providing a better picture in the treatment and safety in patients with melanoma cancer.