Recombinant Interferon Alfa-2b for Melanoma

Symptoms are usually nonspecific, and melanomas may present without symptoms. Melanomas involving the eyelid or nose can present with sudden onset of blindness or ophthalmoscopic lesions. Most melanomas are discovered by nonspecific skin lesions.

In the modern era, a substantial majority of melanomas will present with a curable stage. More than half will metastasize and die within five years, while 5% can become a primary or metastasis within one year. Melanoma's dismal prognosis is most likely due to its late clinical presentation, because of its tendency to metastasize and because it rarely develops effective therapy.

Melanoma is not caused by a mutation in the melanocyte, but seems to arise from a malfunction of the DNA repair process. Melanopsin-expressing melanocytes have a selective advantage in the DNA damage response against ultraviolet irradiation, and in this way melanoma develops.

As the prevalence of early detection for the most common cancers increases, more treatments (and even innovative approaches) targeting specific disease pathways (e.g., biological therapies) will be necessary for cancer patients to obtain more effective treatment.

More than 4 in 10,000 US adults are diagnosed with melanoma each year. Many are diagnosed prior to 80 years of age, when they are at the highest risk of melanoma development. In the United States, early skin examination as part of melanoma screening programmes is important, particularly in individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish background.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that contains malignant-appearing melanocytes of the skin. It typically appears on sun-exposed skin surfaces and on the areas of moles that have developed. It accounts for approximately 75% of all skin cancer cases.\n

Different tumour types, differing metastatic patterns, and differing immune status all seem to influence the rate of metastasis of different types of cancer. In many people with cancer, the spread of cancer is a gradual process, particularly for cancers of the skin. For most people, metastasis does not happen instantly. The spread of melanoma in some people is different from what most experts presume: the melanoma is found in the lymph nodes before it begins to spread, and not, for example, to the lungs, as many melanoma experts suppose. One thing is for sure - metastasis is a gradual and irreversible process.

There were no clinically significant differences in QoL scores between the placebo and experimental arms in the short term for this large phase II trial of interferon alfa-2b in melanoma patients. Patients' perception of their QoLs improved regardless of treatment, suggesting that treatment of melanoma with interferon alfa-2b does not adversely affect QoL as measured at short intervals. Further investigation is needed into potential adverse effects of interferon alfa-2b on QoL, as well as the role of interferon alfa-2b in non-melanoma cancers.

In routine clinical practice, IFN alfa-2b appears to be the most frequently used treatment for all genotypes and histology of patients diagnosed with metastatic melanoma.

The mechanism by which rhIFN-alpha-2b suppresses the growth of MCF-7 [breast cancer](https://www.withpower.com/clinical-trials/breast-cancer) cells in vitro and in nude mice is not by triggering antibody production against IFN-alpha, but by a direct action on cancer cells. This result suggests that the anti-tumor activity of rhIFN-alpha-2b is associated with the activation and maturation of innate immune system cells and subsequent release of IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma, leading to tumor cell destruction.

There were no significant side effects in patients treated with a total of 1.6 (N=29) or 2.4 (N=7) million units weekly for 4 to 12 months. There appear to be differences in side effects between men and women, older people and younger people. There are also differences in side effects depending on people's baseline condition.