A pilot study of low-dose thalidomide and interferon alpha-2b in patients with metastatic melanoma who failed prior treatment.

Melanoma is a hypervascular tumor and angiogenesis plays a critical role in the development/progression of metastases. As various pathways are involved in tumor angiogenesis, a combination of agents with different antiangiogenesis activities is a reasonable approach. To determine the efficacy and toxicity of combination treatment with low-dose thalidomide and low-dose interferon (IFN) in patients with stage IV melanoma who failed prior treatment(s), fifteen patients with metastatic melanoma (nine cutaneous, six uveal) received oral thalidomide (200 mg daily) with subcutaneous interferon (IFN)-alpha2b (3 MIU, 3x/week). Stabilization or regression of metastases (as evidenced by computed tomographic measurement) was the primary endpoint of the study. Patients were evaluated monthly for toxicity and every 2 months for clinical response. At a median follow-up of 22.8 months (range, 12-32 months), one patient with metastatic cutaneous melanoma achieved partial response, three patients achieved stable disease (one uveal, two cutaneous), nine patients progressed, and two were not evaluable. The time to progression was 6 months for the patient with partial response, and 2, 5.5+ and 11 months for three patients with stable disease. The estimated median overall survival was 4.7 months (confidence interval, 2.2-9.9 months; range, 0.9-31.5 months), and median progression-free survival was 1.8 months (confidence interval, 1.5-3.0 months; range, 0.5-14 months). Grade 3 toxicities related to treatment included neutropenia (n=5), elevation of transaminases (n=2), and neuropathy (n=1). No treatment-related deaths were experienced. Thalidomide+IFN is a safe and tolerable palliative treatment for previously treated stage IV melanoma.