Treatment for Melanoma
This study is evaluating whether interleukin-2 with or without histamine dihydrochloride is more effective in treating stage IV melanoma that is metastatic to the liver.
See full descriptionAbout the trial for Melanoma
Treatment Groups
This trial involves a single treatment. Treatment is the primary treatment being studied. Participants will all receive the same treatment. There is no placebo group. The treatments being tested are in Phase 3 and have had some early promising results.
Eligibility
This trial is for patients born any sex aged 18 and older. There are 10 eligibility criteria to participate in this trial as listed below.
Approximate Timelines
Patient Q & A Section
How many people get melanoma a year in the United States?
The most common form of cancer among people in the United States ages 20 and over are non-melanoma skin cancers. The rate of melanoma incidence, however, is about 1.5 times that of non-malignant skin cancer. To be more than half of the population at some point during their lives, the incidence and prevalence rates of melanoma among US adults must be high in the future.
What is melanoma?
Melanoma is an aggressive form of [skin cancer](https://www.withpower.com/clinical-trials/skin-cancer) that develops from cells in the skin's outer layer. Because its name implies, it is characterised by a mole on the skin, more commonly a mole of the sun-exposed areas in the upper arms. It is estimated that 1 in 2500 adults in the USA develops this type of cancer.
Can melanoma be cured?
The presence of primary melanoma in a patient with a current clinical remission and no relapse after the initial local treatment for this disease is very rare.
What are the signs of melanoma?
Signs of melanoma include a mole, freckles, red or itchy skin and sun spots. Other skin abnormalities include lentiges, a lentigo, and lentigos. Malignant melanomas are also often accompanied by signs of thickening skin and pain. Lastly, melanomas often have a cauliflowering growth pattern, which is hard to see clinically.\n
What are common treatments for melanoma?
The prognosis of advanced melanoma depends on the tumour's size, the depth of skin invasion, the presence of distant metastases, and the presence and degree of localisation of lymph node and visceral involvement.
What causes melanoma?
While there are many different environmental and lifestyle factors associated with melanoma, what the majority of cases have in common are that they arise from the uncontrolled proliferation of cells in the lining of the body's largest, the skin. This can be caused by genetics, improper growth factor secretion, or malfunctioning tumor suppressor genes. The cause is not well understood but may be related to the presence of mutated genes or to the immune system. Understanding the mechanisms underlying melanoma development may help find better ways to treat and prevent melanoma.
What are the common side effects of treatment?
Among the 5 patients, both the chemotherapy and the radiotherapy, most common side effects were fever only (4/5), anorexia only (3/5), and skin reactions only (2/4). In our opinion, we are confident that these side effects will disappear with time and treatment will not need to be prolonged. Chemotherapy does not seem to adversely affect health.
What is the latest research for melanoma?
This section reviews both the scientific advances in melanoma and the therapeutic approach. The therapeutic advances in melanoma treatment include the introduction of biological agents and the combination of different biological agents. The combination of biological agents enables them to kill tumor cells by affecting different cellular processes. The use of the combination approach has yielded promising results. The therapeutic approach includes the use of cytotoxic agents, monoclonal antibodies, antimetabolites, proteasome inhibitors, gene therapy, and gene expression inhibitors in the treatment of melanoma. In recent years, the development of vaccines for the treatment of malignant melanoma has emerged.
Is treatment safe for people?
All risks and benefits need to be discussed before treating people with cancer. There were higher risks of infection and bleeding for patients who were given chemotherapy. There also were no clear benefits compared to non-treatment. Cancer treatment should only occur when it is indicated. Appropriate communication and patient involvement may help to minimize treatment harms.
Have there been other clinical trials involving treatment?
In this pilot study we did not find treatment to be significantly more effective in reducing the initial thickness of the disease but statistically significantly greater than the control therapy in delaying the interval to recurrence of the disease. There was no difference in survival between the treatment groups. It showed that a combination of surgery and irradiation is a very effective treatment in this study but further studies will need to be conducted.
Does melanoma run in families?
Familial melanoma shares the same familial background with [skin cancer](https://www.withpower.com/clinical-trials/skin-cancer) cases that exhibit familial cancers of the skin, lung, and breast. Data from a recent study suggest that these genetic predisposing cancer syndromes play a critical role in melanoma development and progression.
What are the chances of developing melanoma?
A family history of [malignant melanoma](https://www.withpower.com/clinical-trials/malignant-melanoma) increases the risk of melanoma by a third. In the UK, men have a fourfold excess risk of melanoma compared with women. There is some evidence that risk is higher in people of Asian ancestry. Melanoma also occurs more frequently in people with a sibling-related history (SRI). There is a high prevalence of SRI in countries where the incidence of melanoma is highest. There are some differences in risk associated with SRI by sex. Although SRI is common in both sexes, the risk in men is higher and risk in women is lower. The association of SRI with melanoma risk appears to be stronger among siblings that are of the same sex.