Prognostic factors for survival and factors associated with long-term remission in patients with advanced melanoma receiving cytokine-based treatments: second analysis of a randomised EORTC Melanoma Group trial comparing interferon-alpha2a (IFNalpha) and interleukin 2 (IL-2) with or without cisplatin.
The aim of this study was to define prognostic factors for survival, and especially for long-term survival in a mature data-set of patients with stage IV melanoma treated within a randomised trial of cytokine-based protocols. Long-term follow-up data on patients enrolled into a European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) trial comparing interferon-alpha (IFNalpha) plus interleukin-2 (IL-2) with or without cisplatin were collected. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to define prognostic factors for survival. The characteristics of patients alive at 2 and 5 years after randomisation were compared with the entire cohort using the chi(2) test. The minimum potential follow-up of the 131 evaluable patients was 5 years. 18 patients (14%) were alive 2 years after randomisation, and 11 (8%) 5 years after randomisation. Pretreatment performance status (PS), serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and tumour mass were significant predictors for survival, whereas site of metastases and number of sites were non-significant. PS and LDH were the only independent prognostic factors. All except 1 patient alive at 2 and 5 years had a pretreatment PS of 100%, and only three long-term survivors had elevated pretreatment LDH. There was no association between the site of metastases and long-term survival. Response to treatment was a major predictor for long-term survival, whereas addition of cisplatin did not impact upon overall survival probability or on long-term survival. The probability of long-term survival in stage IV melanoma patients after IL-2-based treatments is governed by pretreatment PS, serum LDH and response to treatment. Site of metastases, the basis for the M-subcategories of the new AJCC staging system, was not informative in this study.
Medizinische Klinik III, UKBF, Free University Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200, Berlin, Germany. keilholz@ukbf.fu-berlin.de
U
U
Keilholz
P
P
Martus
C J A
CJ
Punt
W
W
Kruit
G
G
Mooser
D
D
Schadendorf
D
D
Liénard
R
R
Dummer
J
J
Koller
C
C
Voit
A M M
AM
Eggermont
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012074:Remission Induction; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016019:Survival Analysis
D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D007376:Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D002945:Cisplatin