Abstract
Thick melanoma (Breslow thickness>4mm) is characterized by a high recurrence rate and distant metastasis. Although DAVFeron (DAVF) is used as a standard adjuvant therapy in Japan, the clinical evidence for its efficacy is limited. A retrospective analysis of 55 thick melanoma patients was performed at Asahikawa Medical College hospital from 1978 to 2009. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) curves were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier estimates and by Cox proportional hazards methods. The estimated 5-year OS was 47.6% for all 55 patients. The 5-year OS rate was significantly higher in patients after the introduction of DAVF therapy than that of patients before the DAVF ; the DFS rate, however, was not significantly altered. By multivariate analysis, the treatment era before or after the DAVF therapy, and the lymph node metastasis were the statistically significant factors for the OS. The prognosis of thick melanoma patients at our hospital has shown improvement in recent years. Because this study is a retrospective case series report, we cannot conclude the efficacy of the DAVF or IFN-beta for thick melanoma. To establish high-risk melanoma treatment, evidence-based clinical studies regarding the prognosis by IFN-beta treatment should be performed.[Skin Cancer (Japan) 2010 ; 25 : 189-194]
