Cutaneous Manifestations of Dabrafenib: A Selective Inhibitor of Mutant BRAF in Patients with Metastatic Melanoma

The study investigated the cutaneous side effects of dabrafenib, a BRAF inhibitor, in 43 patients with metastatic melanoma. The most common skin manifestations included verrucal keratotic squamoproliferative lesions (49%), Grover's disease (27%), and reactive hyperkeratotic lesions (22%). Additionally, 20% of patients developed squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), which were well-differentiated and appeared between weeks 6 and 24 of treatment. Other observed effects were seborrhoeic keratoses, epidermal cysts, acneiform eruptions, hair loss, and changes in hair structure. The study concluded that dabrafenib induced keratinocytic proliferation, sometimes leading to low-grade malignancy, and that HPV was unlikely to contribute to SCCs or verrucal keratoses.