A groundbreaking study by US researchers has found a new way to treat a rare type of eye cancer that spreads to the liver. This research, led by Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida, focuses on a new drug delivery method that could offer hope to patients suffering from metastatic uveal melanoma (mUM).
Metastatic uveal melanoma is a difficult-to-treat cancer that usually has poor outcomes, but this new treatment has shown promising results. The treatment is called melphalan hepatic delivery system, which is a combination of a drug and a medical device used to treat liver-directed cancer in patients whose disease cannot be surgically removed.
This delivery system has been tested in clinical trials to see how effective it is compared to the standard treatments available for mUM.
How the treatment works
The melphalan hepatic delivery system works differently from traditional chemotherapy. In this treatment, a high dose of the drug is directly delivered to the liver, which is the main site for this type of cancer.
The drug is given through a series of catheters and balloons inserted into the liver. The liver is isolated during this process, and the drug is filtered out before it enters the rest of the body. This targeted approach helps reduce the harmful side effects that are usually caused by chemotherapy.
Promising results
The study, which was published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology, compared the outcomes of two groups of patients. One group received the melphalan hepatic delivery system treatment, while the other received the standard care.
The results were impressive. The patients who received the melphalan treatment had significantly better results. The median progression-free survival (the time patients lived without their cancer getting worse) was 9.1 months for those treated with the melphalan system, compared to just 3.3 months for those on standard treatments.
The disease control rate for these patients also showed a huge improvement – it increased from 46.9 percent to 80 percent. On average, patients treated with the melphalan hepatic delivery system lived 18.5 months, compared to 14.5 months for those receiving the standard care.
Side effects and safety
While the treatment showed strong effectiveness, there were some side effects. Most of the side effects were related to blood cell counts, which were treated with standard care and mostly resolved without any serious complications.
The treatment was also shown to not interfere with the patients’ overall quality of life, which is important when considering long-term cancer treatment options.
FDA approval and future prospects
The melphalan hepatic delivery system was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August 2023, which marks a significant step forward in cancer treatment. However, more research is needed to fully understand the long-term benefits and risks of the system.
