[Current aspects of adjuvant therapy of malignant melanoma]

Abstract

Despite intensive clinical and research efforts during recent decades, the prognosis of patients with stage IV melanoma still remains poor. Finding effective adjuvant treatment for patients with a high risk of relapse and metastasis is one of the most urgent needs in clinical research. Systemic adjuvant chemotherapy administered in several clinical trials offered no benefit in terms of improved relapse-free or overall survival. Interferon alpha-2a and -2b treatment was the first treatment in the adjuvant setting which has shown a treatment benefit and received approval in Germany. Today clinical research focuses on improved treatment schedules with conventional interferon compared to pegylated interferon as well as on new compounds such as CTLA4 inhibitors like ipilimumab or a vaccination against the MAGE-A3 peptide.