Understanding Melanoma Signaling Networks as the Basis for Molecular Targeted Therapy

Despite years of research, there has been little improvement in survival for patients with disseminated melanoma. Recent work has identified mutations in BRAF and NRAS, leading to constitutive mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway as well as constitutive activity in the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) pathway, as being critical events in melanoma growth and progression. In the current review, we discuss how these complex mutational and signaling profiles can be understood using a network biology approach, and suggest how an understanding of the key signaling nodes involved in progression and survival will lead to improvements in melanoma therapy.