The Tolerability of Chinese Melanoma Patients to High-dose Interferon Adjuvant Therapy / 中国肿瘤临床

ABSTRACT

Objective: To observe the tolerability of Chinese melanoma patients to four-week high-dose interferon alfa-2b(INTRON A(R)，Schering-Plough)therapy. Methods:A total of 29 patients with high risk melanoma[American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging(AJCC)ⅡB-ⅢC]who received adjuvant interferon therapy in our hospital between September 2007 and May 2009 were retrospectively reviewed.Patients received 4 hours of intravenous infusion of interferon alfa-2b fdose range，22.00 million international unit(MIU)to 33.75 MIU]Ⅳ 5 days/week for 4 weeks.The adverse events were evaluated with National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria(NCI 2.0 version). Results: The average daily dose was 17.63 MIU/(m~2·d).The therapy was ended in two patients because of poor wound healing or intolerability to severe fatigue.The most common adverse events were myelosuppression.Grade 3/4 neutropenia was observed in 69% (20/29)patients and was rapidly reversed after conventional support interventions.Grade 1/2 abnormal hepatic function occurred in 18 cases(62%).Twenty-six patients were followed up for 3 to 22 months.Five patients developed early progressionone with local recurrence，two with regional lymph node metastasis one with in-transit metastasis in the affected limb,and one with distant metastasis. Conclusion: High-dose interferon alfa-2b regimen can be well tolerated by Chinese patients but cannot effectively inhibit subclinical lesions.