1. Treatment patterns of adjuvant interferon-alpha 2b for high-risk melanoma: a retrospective study of the Grupo Espanol Multidisciplinar de Melanoma - Prima study
- Author
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Espinosa, E, Soriano, V, Malvehy, J, Berrocal, A, de Prado, PM, Quindos, M, Soria, A, Marquez-Rodas, I, Palacio, I, Cerezuela, P, Lopez-Vivanco, G, Alonso, L, Samaniego, E, Ballesteros, A, Puertolas, T, Diaz-Beveridge, R, de la Cruz-Merino, L, Castro, RL, Lopez, RL, Stevinson, K, del Barrio, P, Tornamira, MV, Guillem, V, and Martin-Algarra, S
- Subjects
adjuvant treatment ,melanoma ,tolerability ,compliance ,interferon-alpha 2b - Abstract
Adjuvant interferon-alpha 2b (IFN-alpha 2b) has been studied extensively in clinical trials, but there have been few studies of real-world use. The aim of this study is to describe the IFN-alpha 2b real-world patterns in patients with high-risk melanoma in Spain. This was a retrospective and multicentre chart review study of an unselected cohort of patients with melanoma at high risk for relapse (stage IIB/IIC/III) treated with IFN-alpha 2b. Patterns were assessed in terms of dose and compliance to planned treatment. A survival analysis was carried out for the full population and according to Kirkwood scheme compliance and the presence of ulceration. Of 327 patients treated with IFN-alpha 2b, 318 received a high-dose regimen following the standard Kirkwood scheme; thus, patterns are described for this regimen. A total of 121 (38%) and 88 (28%) patients had at least one dose reduction during the induction and maintenance phases, respectively. Dose delay was required in fewer than 10% of patients. A total of 78, 40 and 38% of the patients completed the induction phase, maintenance phase and completed treatment, respectively. The median progression-free and overall survival for the full population were 3.2 and 10.5 years, respectively. There were no differences in progression-free survival and overall survival according to Kirkwood scheme compliance and the presence of ulceration. The most frequent adverse events were neutropenia (31%) and fatigue (30%). High-dose IFN alpha 2b is the most frequently used regimen in Spain as an adjuvant systemic treatment for high-risk melanoma. Despite poor compliance, in this retrospective study, IFN alpha 2b treatment provided a benefit consistent with that described previously. (C) 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
- Published
- 2016