This EORTC multicentre study analysed the efficacy and tolerability in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma of BOLD chemotherapy in combination with recombinant interferon alpha-2b. The dose of bleomycin was 15 mg on days 2 and 5, of vincristine 1 mg/m 2 on days 1 and 4, of lomustine 80 mg on day 1, and of dacarbazine (DTIC) 200 mg/m 2 on days 1-5, given every 4 weeks for a minimum of two cycles. Subcutaneous (s.c.) interferon alpha-2b at a dose of 3×10 6 IU was initiated on day 8 of the first cycle, and continued at a dose of 6×10 6 IU three times per week after 6 weeks. A median of two cycles were administered to 24 patients (median age 60.5 years). None achieved an objective response (0%; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0-14), 2 (8.3%) remained stable, 20 showed progression, and 2 (8.3%) were inevaluable. The median progression-free survival was 1.9 months (95% CI: 1.8-3.4) and overall survival 10.6 months (95% CI: 6.9-16.4). Overall survival improved with increasingly favourable pretreatment characteristics (median, 14.7 versus 6.9 versus 6.0 months for Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH) Working Formulation stages IVBa, IVBb and IVBc, respectively; P=0.018). Grade 3 alopecia and neurotoxicity occurred in 13% of the patients. This multicentre study did not confirm earlier reports that BOLD with human leucocyte or recombinant interferon would induce at least 15% objective responses in metastatic uveal melanoma.

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doi.org/10.1016/S0959-8049(03)00132-1, hdl.handle.net/1765/74450
European Journal of Cancer
Department of Medical Oncology

Kivelä, T., Suciu, S., Hansson, J., Kruit, W., Vuoristo, M., Kloke, O., … Pyrhönen, S. (2003). Bleomycin, vincristine, lomustine and dacarbazine (BOLD) in combination with recombinant interferon alpha-2b for metastatic uveal melanoma. European Journal of Cancer, 39(8), 1115–1120. doi:10.1016/S0959-8049(03)00132-1