1.The Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Clinical College of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu, China; 2.The Comprehensive Cancer Centre of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu, China; 3. Clinical Cancer Institute of Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu, China; 4. Department of Pathology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu, China
Objective: To explore the efficacy and safety of PD-1 antibody versus high-dose interferon in the adjuvant treatment of stage ⅡB-ⅢD melanoma patients after surgery. Methods: Clinical data of patients with stage ⅡB-ⅢD cutaneous and acral melanoma admitted into Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the affiliated hospital of Nanjing University Medical School between September 2013 and September 2022 were retrospectively collected. All patients received high-dose interferon (HDI) or PD-1 antibody as adjuvant therapy after surgery. Univariate survival analysis was performed and survival curves were plotted by the Kaplan-Meier method; Log-Rank method was used to analyze and assess whether the differences in RFS, DMFS, and OS between the groups were statistically significant, and prognostic factors were evaluated by univariate and multivariate Cox regression. Results: A total of 91 patients were enrolled in this study with a median follow-up of 31.0 months. The median RFS was 29.2 and 32.3 months in the HDI group and the PD-1 antibody group, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant (HR=0.90, 95%CI [0.50, 1.64]; P=0.736). The median DMFS and the median OS in the HDI group were 36.0 and 109.2 months respectively, and neither was reached in the PD-1 antibody group (both P>0.05). The most common site of first distant metastasis in both groups was the lung, and there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of distant metastasis at any site (P>0.05). By univariate Cox analysis, compared with PD-1, antibody HDI reduced the risk of distant metastasis in patients with BRAFV600E/K mutations (HR=10.03, 95% CI [1.10, 91.35]; P=0.041). Subgroup analyses showed that in patients with cutaneous and acral melanoma, the difference in RFS between the HDI group and the PD-1 antibody group was not statistically significant (both P>0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in the HDI group and the PD-1 antibody group was 83.3% and 79.1%, respectively, most of which were grade 1 or 2. No deaths related to adverse reactions occurred in both groups. Conclusion: In this study, there was no statistically significant difference in clinical efficacy and safety between PD-1 antibody and HDI adjuvant therapy for malignant melanoma patients. Patients with BRAFV600E/K mutations may benefit more from HDI. Numerous prospective studies are needed to further explore the optimal adjuvant treatment options for melanoma patients in Asian populations.