Perilesional treatment of metastatic melanoma with interferon-β

• Published in: Clinical and experimental dermatology Vol. 34; no. 7; pp. 793 - 799
• Main Authors: Fujimura, T., Okuyama, R., Ohtani, T., Ito, Y., Haga, T., Hashimoto, A., Aiba, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-10-2009; Wiley-Blackwell
• Subjects: Aged; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; Cells, Cultured; Dendritic Cells - drug effects; Dermatology; Drug Evaluation - methods; Female; HLA-DR Antigens - metabolism; Humans; Injections, Intralesional; Interferon-beta - pharmacology; Interferon-beta - therapeutic use; Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating - drug effects; Male; Medical sciences; Melanoma - drug therapy; Melanoma - immunology; Melanoma - secondary; Middle Aged; Skin Neoplasms - drug therapy; Skin Neoplasms - immunology; Skin Neoplasms - secondary; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic - immunology; Tumors of the skin and soft tissue. Premalignant lesions; Treatment; Dermatology; Malignant melanoma; Interferon; Metastatic; Malignant tumor; Metastasis; Cancer
• ISSN: 0307-6938; 1365-2230
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2230.2009.03207.x

Summary
Previous trials with various treatments have not shown satisfactory therapeutic results for cutaneous metastasis of malignant melanoma (MM). We report three patients who were treated with peritumoral injection of interferon (IFN)‐β for multiple skin metastases of MM. The metastatic tumours were infiltrated by significant numbers of CD8+ TIA+ cytotoxic lymphocytes, and the numbers of CD4+ cells and human leucocyte antigen‐DR+ cells increased after IFN‐β injection. These results suggest that the peritumoral administration of IFN‐β enhanced the antitumour immune response against the MM, suggesting that it is a promising supportive treatment for skin metastasis of MM.