ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Giornale Italiano di Dermatologia e Venereologia 2003 June;138(3):225-8

Copyright © 2003 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Adjuvant immunotherapy with interferon-a in malignant melanoma

Moretti S. ¹, Brunasso G. ², Borgognoni L. ³, Pimpinelli N. ²

¹ Clinica Dermatologica II Dipartimento di Scienze Dermatologiche Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze 2 Clinica Dermatologica I Dipartimento di Scienze Dermatologiche Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze 3 UO Chirurgia Plastica Ospedale S.M. Annunziata Azienda Sanitaria di Firenze, Firenze

Aim. The aim of adjuvant therapy in malignant melanoma is to eradicate micrometastatic disease (which is the biologic basis for progression) possibly with a good risk/benefit ratio. Interferon a (IFNa) is the only biotherapy that in the last years showed to improve disease free survival in high-risk melanoma patients (IIB and III stage according to AJCC). Schedules vary from the high doses of Kirkwood’s study to the intermediate doses of ongoing EORTC-Melanoma Cooperative Group protocol.
Methods. At the Department of Dermatological Sciences of the University of Florence, 39 melanoma patients with melanoma were treated, after elective lymph node resection, according to the intermediate-high dosage of EORTC-Melanoma Cooperative Group.
Results. IFNa therapy was not well tolerated. Among 39 patients, 6 concluded therapy according to protocol, 28 reduced therapy at 50% due to toxicity, 5 suspended therapy for high toxicity or progression.
Conclusion. Adjuvant IFNa therapy has not been standardized so far, and ongoing trials have to define the real efficacy of this treatment.