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Is there an overtreatment of melanoma patients at the end of their life? Results of a multicenter study on 193 melanoma patients
Author(s) -
Forschner Andrea,
Loquai Carmen,
Meiss Frank,
Huening Svea,
Pawlowski Johannes,
Bradfisch Fabienne,
Lehr Saskia,
Nashan Dorotheé
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
jddg: journal der deutschen dermatologischen gesellschaft
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.463
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1610-0387
pISSN - 1610-0379
DOI - 10.1111/ddg.14501
Subject(s) - medicine , melanoma , systemic therapy , cohort , cohort study , oncology , retrospective cohort study , multicenter study , cancer , randomized controlled trial , cancer research , breast cancer
Summary Background and objectives There is a lack of data regarding the situation of melanoma patients receiving systemic therapies in their last months of life. Patients and methods All melanoma patients who died in 2016 or 2017 and who had been treated by systemic therapies within the last three months of life were retrospectively analyzed. The study was conducted within the Committee “supportive therapy” of the Work Group Dermatological Oncology (ADO). Results 193 patients from four dermato‐oncological centers were included. More than 60 % of the patients had ECOG ≥ 2 and most of them received immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) or targeted therapies (TT). 41 patients benefited from the last therapy in terms of radiological and laboratory findings or state of health. Although ECOG was worse in the TT cohort compared to the ICI group, the proportion of patients benefiting from the last therapy with TT was significantly higher and TT therapy could be carried out more often on an outpatient basis. Conclusions This study indicates that there is a tendency towards an overtreatment at the end of life. Nevertheless, TT might be a reasonable therapeutic option for advanced BRAF mutant melanoma, even in highly palliative situations.