Adjuvant therapy of melanoma

Patients with AJCC Stage IIB and III melanoma have a poor 5-year survival rate which has been the driving force behind attempts to find an effective adjuvant therapy for this stage of disease that would effectively reduce relapse and improve survival. Immunotherapy with bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), Corynebacterium parvum, and levamisole have not been successful in achieving this goal, nor have trials with chemotherapy in the adjuvant setting, including high-dose chemotherapy with autologous bone marrow transplantation. The recent Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 1684 study showed significant improvement in relapse-free and overall survival with high doses of alpha interferon (IFNalpha) given for 1 year. Lower dosages of IFNalpha have to date been unsuccessful in impacting upon long-term survival. Recent data with vaccines have been encouraging, and the GM2-KLH vaccine is the focus of ongoing intergroup study comparing this treatment with IFNalpha in resected Stage IIB and III melanoma. The various regimens are reviewed in this article.