What percentage of melanoma patients respond to chemotherapy?
Single-agent chemotherapy is well tolerated but is associated with response rates of only 5% to 20%.
How effective is chemotherapy for melanoma?
Chemotherapy doesn’t work as well against melanoma as it does for some other types of cancer. Doctors are more likely to use newer drugs called targeted cancer drugs or immunotherapy first to treat melanoma.
Do you need chemo for melanoma?
Chemotherapy can help some people with stage IV melanoma, but other treatments are usually tried first. Dacarbazine (DTIC) and temozolomide (Temodar) are the chemo drugs used most often, either by themselves or combined with other drugs.
Can metastatic melanoma be cured?
Although in many cases metastatic melanoma can’t be cured, treatments and support can help you live longer and better. Doctors have therapies that have greatly increased survival rates. And researchers are working to find new medications that can do even more.
Is melanoma chemo resistant?
Melanoma is a most dangerous and deadly type of skin cancer, and considered intrinsically resistant to both radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
What is the optimal dose of temozolomide for metastatic melanoma?
These recommendations apply to adult patients with unresectable metastatic malignant melanoma. It is reasonable to use temozolomide at a dose of 200 mg/m2orally for 5 days every 4 weeks as initial systemic treatment for patients with unresectable metastatic malignant melanoma.
What is the a response rate for carboplatin in melanoma?
A response rate of 19% was observed with carboplatin in a phase II study in chemotherapy-naive patients with metastatic melanoma.[22] Carboplatin has also been used in combination with paclitaxel in previously treated patients.[19] Nitrosoureas
What is the response rate of dacarbazine in melanoma?
Dacarbazine is the only chemotherapy drug currently approved for the treatment of metastatic malignant melanoma. In large randomized trials, response rates with dacarbazine ranged from 6% to 15%.
Is temozolomide a good chemotherapy option for cancer patients?
Because of oral dosing, temozolomide is a reasonable choice, particularly for patients who would have difficulty traveling to cancer centres for intravenous chemotherapy. Temozolomide has demonstrated efficacy equal to that of dacarbazine in a randomized phase iiitrial.