Continuous use of aspirin for 5 years or more reduces the risk of cutaneous melanoma by almost half, according to results of a case-control study. Continuous use of nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) also reduces risk, but only by 25%.
Patients with stage IV or locally advanced stage III cutaneous melanoma experienced higher response rates and longer progression-free survival (PFS) when treated with a gp100 vaccine and interleukin-2 than with interleukin-2 alone, in a phase 3 randomized trial. Tumors in all 185 patients expressed HLA*A0201, which allowed presentation of the peptide vaccine to T cells. The researchers concluded that their results show the potential of immune agents in combination with other treatments in this patient population.
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