Sept. 23, 2009 (Berlin) -- An experimental drug appears to dramatically and rapidly shrink deadly skin cancer tumors, researchers report.

Tumors shrank in 17 of 27 patients with advanced melanoma given the new pill, known as PLX4032. In two patients, the tumors completely disappeared.

The results are "unprecedented," says Paul Chapman, MD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

In one patient who underwent before-and-after imaging scans, the tumor "completely healed. I've never seen anything like it," he tells WebMD.

"We began to see signs of tumors turning off within two weeks," Chapman adds.

Overall, tumors shrank in 70% of patients with a particular cancer-related mutation who were given the pill.More..

Skin Cancer