In a nutshell
This study examined the effectiveness of isolated limb perfusion (ILP) in locally advanced melanoma. Researchers suggested that ILP was safe and effective in these patients.
Some background
Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are the standard treatments for advanced melanoma. However, ILP has been shown to increase the rates of tumor response. ILP involves a highly concentrated chemotherapy given to a specific part of the body. The effectiveness of ILP in the treatment of advanced melanomas is still being investigated.
Methods & findings
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ILP in the treatment of advanced melanomas.
This study included information on 163 patients with melanoma (72.1%), sarcoma (23.4%), squamous cell carcinoma (SSC; 2.0%) and merkel cell carcinoma (MCC; 2.5%).
The average follow-up time was 21.8 months. The overall response rate (response such as tumor shrinkage) for melanoma was 59%.
Patients with melanoma who responded to ILP had a longer progression-free survival (time from treatment to cancer progression) of 14.1 months when compared to 3.2 months for patients that did not respond to the treatment. Melanoma patients also showed an increased overall survival (time from treatment until death from any cause; 56 months) when compared with non-responders (26.7 months).
The bottom line
This study suggested that ILP is a safe option to treat advanced melanoma patients.
The fine print
This study did not take into account the effect of other treatments before or after receiving ILP.
Published By :
Annals of Surgical Oncology
Date :
Oct 10, 2017
