Long-Term Response to Daily Low-Dose Subcutaneous Interferon-α2b in a Patient with Pretreated Metastatic Uveal Melanoma in the Liver and Lung

Abstract

Uveal melanoma is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults. Localized tumors are often curable by local therapy, but about 50% of patients develop a relapse with metastatic disease, particularly in the liver. Mortality rate after detected liver metastases remains high, while systemic therapies usually provide marginal benefit. Melanomas are hypervascular tumors, and agents with antiangiogenic activities have been studied as palliative treatment. Interferon-alpha-2b (IFN-α2b) has antiangiogenic activity when administered at low doses. We describe a patient who has received low-dose subcutaneous IFN-α2b (0.9 MIU, tid) continuously for years and gained stabilization of lung and liver metastases, which had previously progressed during earlier systemic therapies.

Keywords

• Interferon-alpha (IFN-α)
• Long-term response
• Metastatic melanoma
• Prognosis
• Second-line therapy
• Survival
• Uveal melanoma