Abstract
BACKGROUND.
Brain metastases are an alarming complication of advanced melanoma, frequently contributing to patient demise. The authors performed a retrospective analysis to determine whether the treatment of metastatic melanoma with biochemotherapy would result in similar outcomes if brain metastases were first controlled with aggressive, central nervous system (CNS)βdirected treatment.
METHODS.
Seventy melanoma patients were treated with biochemotherapy for metastatic melanoma between 1999 and 2005. Of these, 20 patients had recently diagnosed brain metastases, whereas 50 did not. Brain metastases (if present) were treated with stereotactic radiosurgery β₯28 days prior to systemic therapy. All patients were treated with biochemotherapy consisting of either dacarbazine or temozolomide in combination with a 96βhour continuous intravenous infusion of interleukinβ2 and subcutaneous interferonβΞ±β2B. The primary endpoint was survival from the time of the initial diagnosis of metastatic disease.
RESULTS.
Median survival from the time of the diagnosis of metastatic melanoma was 15.8 months for patients with brain metastases and 11.1 months for those without CNS involvement (P = .26 by the logβrank test; P = .075 by the Gehan Wilcoxon test). Dacarbazineβbased and temozolomideβbased regimens appeared similar with regard to their effect on overall survival and CNS disease progression. A plateau in further brain recurrences was observed in patients who survived for > 20 months.
CONCLUSIONS.
Data from the current study suggest that the outcome of biochemotherapy is comparable in patients with and those without brain metastases, if brain metastases are controlled with multidisciplinary treatment. Prolonged survival can be achieved in approximately 15% of patients, regardless of whether or not brain metastases are present. Cancer 2007. Β© 2007 American Cancer Society.