Conditions: Melanoma
Keywords: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center patients with measurable, unresectable stage III or IV melanoma
Allocation: NA | Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Enrollment: 51
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Temozolomide (also known as TMZ) is a chemotherapy drug given by mouth. It is similar to DTIC, the only FDA-approved chemotherapy for melanoma, but because temozolomide is given by mouth, it can be given daily over a long period of time. We think that temozolomidemay work best if it is given every day for 6 weeks at a time. Temozolomide given by this extended schedule is experimental, although we have found that it is safe and can shrink melanoma in some patients.

One big advantage of TMZ is that it is given by mouth instead of by vein. This means that it can be given daily over a long period of time rather than off and on like DTIC. We think that TMZ may work better if it is given every day for 6 weeks. TMZ given by this extended schedule is experimental although we have found that TMZ given in this way is safe and can shrink melanoma in some patients. When extended dosing TMZ was given with either thalidomide or long-acting interferon-α, about 30% of patients had their tumors shrink. We think that this shrinkage was due mostly to the TMZ since neither thalidomide nor interferon-α alpha work in melanoma by themselves.

In this study, we will treat patients with TMZ alone using this extended dosing schedule to see how many patients experience tumor shrinkage.

We also want to learn more about which tumors are more likely to shrink from TMZ treatment. We will test samples of your tumor for whether or not a gene called MGMT has been turned on,

Detailed description:

Arms:
arm 1: None

Interventions: intervention 1: Temozolomide (TMZ)
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: One group treatment study

Protocol document: