Biochemotherapy for Melanoma

Melanoma skin cancer ---> melanoma treatment ---> melanoma biochemotherapy

Combinations of IL-2 and/or IFN- with chemotherapy, known as biochemotherapy, have shown significant improved response rates compared with chemotherapy alone or cytokines alone. As might be expected, these regimens are more toxic than the component therapies by themselves. One of the biochemotherapy regimens that has demonstrated a significant response rate (i.e., 64%, including 21% complete and 43% partial) with moderate toxicity is a combination of cisplatin, vinblastine, dacarbazine, IL-2, and IFN- . A follow-up randomized trial comparing this biochemotherapy regimen to chemotherapy alone indicated that the addition of the cytokines significantly enhanced the anti-tumor activity of the chemotherapy. Biochemotherapy should be considered in patients with advanced melanoma who are thought to be able to tolerate the toxicities of the therapy.