1543 – Request to amend Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) item 73336 (BRAF mutation test for treatment of metastatic melanoma) to include reference to encorafenib

Amendment to an existing item.

The medical service 73336 tests tumour tissue from a patient with unresectable stage 3 or stage 4 metastatic cutaneous melanoma to determine if the requirements relating to BRAF V600 mutation status for access to PBS medicines are fulfilled. This application seeks to amend the existing BRAF MBS item code, code 73336, and simply requests to include reference to encorafenib.

Type: Investigative

Melanoma is one of the most aggressive cancers and is responsible for the majority of skin cancer deaths with the presence of metastases prognostic for poor survival. In Europe, BRAF V600-positive mutations are present in 40% - 60% of cases of metastatic melanoma, with the V600E variant being the most common (in up to 90% of BRAF V600 mutation-positive melanomas); the reported frequency for Australia is 40 to 50%. In 2013, there were 12,744 new cases of melanoma of the skin diagnosed in Australia (7,513 in males and 5,232 in females). Projection estimates indicate that in 2017, there will be 13,941 new cases of melanoma of the skin diagnosed in Australia (8,392 in males and 5,549 in females).

• PASC meeting: -
• ESC meeting: -
• MSAC meeting: 22 to 23 November 2018