In a nutshell
The authors aimed to determine the effect of selumetinib in treating eye cancer compared to chemotherapy.
Some background
Uveal melanoma (eye cancer) is a rare form of cancer that occurs in the eye and has a 50% rate of metastasis (cancer spreads from the original site around the body). Selumetinib (AZD6244) is a drug that prevents protein activation and cancer cell growth and can function as a treatment option in eye cancer patients.
Methods & findings
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of selumetinib in treating eye cancer.
101 patients were used in this study. Patients were separated into two groups – one group received chemotherapy and one group received selumetinib treatment. Patients who received chemotherapy had a progression-free survival (length of time patients did not experience cancer progression following treatment) of 7 weeks compared to 15.9 weeks in the selumetinib group. Patients who received selumetinib had a 54% lower risk of experiencing cancer progression compared to the chemotherapy group.
4 month progression-free survival was 8.5% in the chemotherapy group compared to 43.1% in the selumetinib group. 6 month progression-free survival was 5.7% in the chemotherapy group compared to 22.9% in the selumetinib group. Overall survival (length of time patients who did not die from eye cancer following treatment) was 9.1 months in the chemotherapy group compared to 11.8 months in the selumetinib group, who had a 34% reduced risk of dying from cancer compared to the chemotherapy group. 49% of patients treated with selumetinib experienced a decrease in tumor size following treatment, where 14% of these patients experienced a more than 30% decrease in tumor size.
97% of patients treated with selumetinib experienced side-effects (rash, fatigue, blurred vision, vision changes and changes in protein levels). 37% of patients were given lower doses of selumetinib due to side-effects and 6% stopped taking selumetinib due to side-effects experienced.
The bottom line
The authors conclude that patients treated with selumetinib achieved an improved progression-free survival and response to treatment compared to patients treated with chemotherapy.
The fine print
Further studies are required to validate the results presented here.
What’s next?
If you are considering your treatment options for eye cancer, please consult your doctor for further information on chemotherapy and selumetinib.
Published By :
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
Date :
Jun 18, 2014
