Immunological consequences of selective BRAF inhibitors in malignant melanoma: Neutralization of myeloid-derived suppressor cells.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) potently repress antitumor immunity. The amount of MDSC in the blood of melanoma patients declines in response to vemurafenib, an inhibitor of oncogenic BRAF signaling that abrogates the ability of malignant cells to induce MDSC. This suggests that vemurafenib may be used in combination with various immunotherapeutic agents for the induction of long-lasting tumor regression.