Klin Onkol 2011; 24(3): 180-186. DOI: 10.14735/amko2011180.
Summary
Backrounds: The incidence of malignant melanoma is increasing by about 2–5% per year, exceeding an incidence of all other tumors. Adjuvant immunotherapy with high-dose interferon (HDI) as per the ECOG 1684 trial Kirkwood’s schema is still recommended as a standard. HDI should be started within 60 days after a surgical procedure. Meaningful adjuvant immunotherapy is based on radical surgical excision, an investigation of the sentinel node and regional lymph node dissection, if indicated. Current research aims to utilize routinely usable biomarkers in order to define patients who would explicitly profit from HDI. Design: The authors present a review of HDI trials, focusing on the management of adverse effects of HDI and on biomarkers. This review also discusses the initial own experiences at the Oncology Centre in Hradec Králové. Conclusion: Malignant melanoma is a very immunogenic tumour. Immunotherapy with HDI is considered to be the only therapeutic modality so far that has been proven to prolong relapse-free survival and overall survival (in short-time criterion) in adjuvant setting. However, the results of these trials are inconsistent and particular biomarkers of therapeutic response have not been defined yet.
