Randomized, Multicenter Phase III Trial Comparing Adjuvant Treatment With PegIntron Over 36 Months Versus Reference Treatment With IntronA Over 18 Months in Cutaneous Melanoma Patients AJCC Stage II (>=1.5 mm Clinically Node Negative)

Trial Information

Randomized, Multicenter Phase III Trial Comparing Adjuvant Treatment With PegIntron Over 36 Months Versus Reference Treatment With IntronA Over 18 Months in Cutaneous Melanoma Patients AJCC Stage II (>=1.5 mm Clinically Node Negative)

Study design and primary objective

This is an European multicenter, open label, prospective randomized phase III trial
evaluating the efficacy of long-term maintenance therapy of two therapy options, IntronA for
18 months versus PegIntron for 36 months, administered in an adjuvant setting after the
local excision of an intermediate risk cutaneous melanoma.

Eligibility criteria

Intermediate risk melanoma is defined by the following criteria: (1) a tumor thickness >=
1,5mm and (2) the absence of regional nodal macrometastases, as assessed either by clinical
examination or, if sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) or elective node dissection (ELND) are
performed, by the absence of macroscopic evidence of disease. Patients with evidence of
nodal micrometastasis by SLNB or ELND are eligible. The choice of performing sentinel node
dissection will be left to the decision of each center, on condition to concern all
consecutive patients and that all surgical procedures are completed before randomization of
the patients . The centers have to inform their respective national study center if they
perform SLNB or ELND and also if they change their surgical procedure.

Study treatments

- Arm A : PegIntron 100 mcg SC/week for 36 months

- Arm B : IntronA 3miu TIWW SC for 18 months

Endpoints

The primary endpoint of the study will be the time to any recurrence (local recurrence,
satellite or in transit metastasis, regional node metastasis or distant metastasis) or
death, whatever the cause. The primary comparison between the two arms will use the 5-year
disease-free survival time. Secondary endpoints are time to distant metastasis , overall
survival, toxicity and quality of life.

Therapy with either PegIntron or IntronA will continue as scheduled unless there is evidence
of disease progression (whether local or distant recurrence), severe toxicity, or the
subject requests that therapy be discontinued. All patients will be followed for
disease-free-survival and overall survival until the end of the trial.

Sample size and analysis

The calculated sample size is 1190 patients to be enrolled over a 5 years period; this
sample size is inclusive of an expected lost to follow up not more than 10% during the
course of the trial. The randomization procedure will be stratified according to centers and
to sentinel node biopsy. The primary analysis will be performed under the intent to treat
principle.