title: IFN-α in the treatment of melanoma.
abstract: Among the IFNs, IFN-α2 has been the most broadly evaluated clinically. At the molecular level, IFN-α has multiple effects in a variety of malignancies that range from antiangiogenic to potent immunoregulatory, differentiation-inducing, antiproliferative, and proapoptotic effects. A multitude of IFN-α2 regimens that may be classified as low dose, intermediate dose, and high dose have been evaluated as adjuvant therapy in melanoma. A durable impact on both relapse-free and overall survival was seen only with the regimen utilizing high-dose IFN-α2b tested in the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and intergroup trials E1684, E1690, and E1694 as adjuvant therapy for high-risk surgically resected melanoma (stage IIB or III). Adjuvant pegylated IFN-α2b has also been evaluated at maximally tolerable doses compared with the observation group in the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer trial 18991 and has shown relapse-free survival benefits in patients with microscopic nodal disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA. tarhiniaa@upmc.edu
authors.forename: Ahmad A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Tarhini
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gogas
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kirkwood
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017321:Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic; D017322:Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy*; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D019139:Tumor Escape / Q000276:immunology; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D016898:Interferon-alpha