Combination treatments versus single treatment in malignant melanoma

The authors aimed to determine whether dacarbazine was better as a single or combination therapy when treating malignant melanoma. 

Dacarbazine (DTIC) has been the most used and effective treatment option in malignant melanoma, however it has a low response rate (reduction in the signs or symptoms of cancer) of between 10-20% when used as a single treatment agent. As new treatment options have emerged, combination therapies (use of more than one drug to treat a disease) have been used instead of single treatments.

The aim of this study was to determine whether dacarbazine worked better as a single treatment or as a combination therapy.

8 articles were evaluated in this analysis, which included 2,221 patients.

The likelihood of overall survival was increased by 60% for patients treated with dacarbazine as a combination therapy compared to dacarbazine as a single therapy.

The likelihood of 1-year survival (survival at one year follow-up) was 34% higher in patients treated with dacarbazine as a combination therapy in comparison to dacarbazine as a single treatment.

Patients treated with dacarbazine as a combination therapy were more likely to experience adverse effects. The likelihood of experiencing nausea was 23% higher for those taking combination therapy compared to those taking dacarbazine alone, while the likelihod of experiencing vomiting was 73% higher and neutropenia (low number of cells that are used to fight disease) was 75% higher.

The authors concluded that taking dacarbazine as a combination therapy improved the likelihood of overall survival and 1-year survival but increased the risk of experiencing adverse effects.

This was a meta-analysis (analysis of several studies) so experimental procedures may have differed in each article which may have biased the results. 

If you are considering dacarbazine as a potential treatment option and would like more information on it’s use in combination therapy please consult your doctor.