A plain language summary of the preliminary results for encorafenib plus binimetinib and pembrolizumab in adults with BRAF V600-mutant melanoma in the STARBOARD study

What is this summary about? This summary describes the initial phase of the STARBOARD study, known as a safety lead-in, which was conducted to compare the safety of two different encorafenib doses plus binimetinib and pembrolizumab in people with BRAF V600-mutant melanoma to determine the recommended dose before proceeding with further testing of this new drug combination. What were the results? Participants took a higher or lower encorafenib dose plus binimetinib and pembrolizumab. The number of side effects that were serious enough to limit the dose of the drug at its planned dose (‘dose-limiting toxicities’) was small in both groups. Overall, side effects were as expected for what is known for each of the drugs. In both groups, some participants’ tumors shrank or became no longer detectable. What do the results of the study mean? The higher encorafenib dose plus binimetinib and pembrolizumab was chosen for further testing in the subsequent main phase 3 portion of the STARBOARD study, which is currently ongoing.