Efficacy and safety of nab-paclitaxel combined with carboplatin in Chinese patients with melanoma.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of nab-paclitaxel combined with carboplatin in Chinese patients with melanoma. The treatment regimen consisted of nab-paclitaxel (100 mg/m(2)) and carboplatin (area under the curve = 2) administered on days 1 and 8 every 21 days. All of the patients were evaluated on the basis of efficacy and safety in a two-cycle interval. Of the 45 patients, 18 were chemotherapy naive and 27 were chemotherapy treated. Of these cases, 18 manifested acral melanoma and 27 showed non-acral melanomas. Although chemotherapy-naive patients exhibited a higher response to the treatment, similar progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were detected in chemotherapy-naive and chemotherapy-treated patients. A higher response was observed in non-acral melanomas; however, similar PFS and OS occurred between acral and non-acral melanomas. The most common side effects were alopecia, myelosuppression, and gastrointestinal reaction. Nab-paclitaxel combined with carboplatin is a well-tolerated and effective regimen to treat Chinese patients with melanoma, including acral and non-acral melanomas. This treatment may be an alternative approach for Chinese patients with melanoma, especially those without the opportunity to undergo therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors.