Adjuvant interferon alfa-2a treatment in resected primary stage II cutaneous melanoma. Austrian Malignant Melanoma Cooperative Group.
J Clin Oncol
; 16(4): 1425-9, 1998 Apr.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-9552047
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
Patients with primary cutaneous melanoma with a Breslow thickness > or = 1.5 mm have only a 30% to 70% probability of survival after surgery, and no adjuvant therapy has so far improved this outcome. Since interferon alfa-2a (IFNalpha2a) exhibits antitumor activity in metastatic melanoma, we investigated whether adjuvant IFNalpha2a diminishes the occurrence of metastases and thus prolongs disease-free survival in melanoma patients after excision of the primary tumor. PATIENTS ANDMETHODS:
In a prospective randomized study, 311 melanoma patients with a Breslow thickness > or = 1.5 mm were assigned to either adjuvant IFNalpha2a treatment (n = 154) or observation (n = 157) after excision of the primary tumor. IFNalpha2a was given daily at a dose of 3 mIU subcutaneously (s.c.) for 3 weeks (induction phase), after which a dose of 3 mIU s.c. three times per week was given over 1 year (maintenance phase).RESULTS:
Prolonged disease-free survival was observed in patients treated with IFNalpha2a versus those who underwent surgery alone. This difference was significant (P = .02) for all patients enrolled onto the study (intention-to-treat analysis) at a mean observation time of 41 months. Subgroup analysis showed that Breslow tumor thickness had no influence on treatment results in the groups of patients investigated.CONCLUSION:
Adjuvant IFNalpha2a treatment diminishes the occurrence of metastases and thus prolongs disease-free survival in resected primary stage II cutaneous melanoma patients.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Neoplasias Cutâneas
/
Interferon-alfa
/
Melanoma
/
Antineoplásicos
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
/
Observational_studies
Limite:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
1998
Tipo de documento:
Article