What the trial was testing
The COLUMBUS enrolled 921 patients with melanoma. The study was sponsored by Pfizer and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was a large trial designed to confirm whether the treatment works well enough for wider use. Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
Roughly twice as long without progression — 14.9 vs. 7.3 months.
The Lancet Oncology · 2018 · NCT01909453
These findings — that time without progression on encorafenib + binimetinib vs. vemurafenib in BRAF-mutant melanoma — were published in the The Lancet Oncology and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 921 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with melanoma, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
Encorafenib (Braftovi) plus binimetinib (Mektovi) is FDA-approved and available now for BRAF-mutant advanced melanoma. The combination has fewer skin and joint side effects than older BRAF/MEK pairs. Ask a melanoma oncologist about BRAF testing and whether this combination fits.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open melanoma trials
Electrochemotherapy (ECT) in Patients With Primary Visceral Tumors and/or Secondary Visceral Localizations, of Any Histotype
This is an monocenter, single arm, clinical investigation that evaluate the impact of the method on the objective response rate (ORR) of visceral lesions undergoing electrochemotherapy. Electrochemotherapy is a well-defined method for the treatment of cutaneous and subcutaneous metastases of different tumor histotypes. Although still limited, the various experiences in the treatment of visceral localizations, particularly in liver metastases from colorectal cancer are promising and show that electrochemotherapy is a safe treatment, even in the case of lesions near large vessels or nerves. The investigators therefore propose a clinical investigation with a Medical Device according to EU Regulation 745/2017, using electrochemotherapy (Cliniporator) with bleomycin for the treatment of visceral, primary or secondary, unresectable localizations, with percutaneous or intraoperative technique (laparoscopic or laparotomy), as needed.
Nodal Radiation Therapy for Sentinel Lymph Node Positive Melanoma
This phase II trial seeks to determine the role of nodal radiation therapy after sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for patients with high risk sentinel lymph node positive melanoma who are planned for immunotherapy without completion lymph node dissection. Prior studies of patients with more advanced melanoma have shown nodal radiation therapy can decrease the risk of nodal recurrence but it is not known if this same benefit will be seen in patients with high risk sentinel lymph node positive disease who are planned for immunotherapy.