title: Treatment of pediatric ocular melanoma with high-dose interleukin-2 and thalidomide.
abstract: Uveal melanoma is the most common primary ocular malignancy, although it is rare in children, and patients presenting with metastatic disease have a median survival of only 2 to 5 months. The tumor is generally unresponsive to systemic chemotherapy, but immunotherapy may be effective in selected patients. This report describes an 8-year-old girl with metastatic uveal melanoma treated with high-dose, bolus interleukin-2 (IL-2) and the antiangiogenic agent thalidomide. She tolerated treatment well and initially responded with stable disease in the liver and pancreas for 23 months. New pulmonary metastases developed and she was re-treated with high-dose IL-2, resulting in regression of her liver lesions and stable pulmonary disease for more than 18 months. These results suggest that IL-2 at high doses, and in combination with thalidomide, may be useful for uveal melanoma with tolerable side effects in children. Further study of this combination in children with immune-responsive tumors is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Ney York 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Sandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soni
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: DiVito
authors.forename: Au H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Bui
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: DeRaffele
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Radel
authors.forename: Howard L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Kaufman
mesh_terms: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary; D011379:Prognosis; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014604:Uveal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007376:Interleukin-2; D013792:Thalidomide