Panminerva Medica 2020 Jul 22

DOI: 10.23736/S0031-0808.20.03912-9

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Effect of interferon-α-2b and interleukin-2 combined with chemotherapy in metastatic melanoma

Zheng SU, Fen SHI, Jian ZHANG, Weiqiang LIANG ✉

¹ Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China

BACKGROUND: To explore the efficacy and safety of interferon-α-2b and interleukin-2 combined with chemotherapy in treating patients with metastatic melanoma.
METHODS: The patients with metastatic melanoma in control group (n=52) were treated with conventional DDAVC chemotherapy regimen, while those in combination group (n=52) received biotherapy with interferon-α-2b and interleukin-2 in addition to the chemotherapy in control group. At the end of the treatments, the serum immune function indicators, short-term efficacy and incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups of patients, and patient's survival was followed up and recorded.
RESULTS: At 1 week after treatment, it was found that the overall response rate in combination group was substantially higher than that in control group (P=0.027). Besides, according to the serologic test results at 1 week after the chemotherapy, T lymphocyte subset activity was enhanced in patients in combination group compared with that before chemotherapy, with no statistically significant difference (P>0.05), but it was notably weakened in control group in comparison with that before chemotherapy (P<0.05). Finally, it was discovered through the log-rank test that the overall survival (OS) rate in combination group was remarkably superior to that in control group (P=0.029), but there was no statistically significant difference in the progression-free survival (PFS) rate between the two groups (P=0.076).
CONCLUSIONS: Compared with chemotherapy alone, interferon-α-2b and interleukin-2 combined with chemotherapy can raise the clinical short-term efficacy and long-term OS rate in the patients with metastatic melanoma and alleviate their toxic side reactions, with higher safety.

KEY WORDS: Interferon-α-2b; Interleukin-2; Chemotherapy; Melanoma; Metastasis; Efficacy