Efficacy and toxicity of transarterial chemoembolization therapy using cisplatin and gelatin sponge in patients with liver metastases from uveal melanoma in an Asian population

Background Although both immune-checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies such as MEK inhibitors have been evaluated in metastatic uveal melanoma, the efficacy of these therapies is modest to date. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) therapy for liver metastasis from uveal melanoma in an Asian population. Methods We retrospectively assessed the clinical data of patients with liver metastases from uveal melanoma who received TACE therapy using cisplatin (70 mg/m(2)) and gelatin sponge between 1997 and 2008. Results We identified 29 eligible patients. The overall response rate was 21%. The median survival time was 23 months, and the 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates were 72.4, 39.4, and 0%, respectively. The favorable prognostic factors were partial response and stable disease, < 25% of the tumor volume within the liver at baseline, and normal serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and normal alkaline phosphatase at baseline. Among them, normal LDH at baseline was the only independent prognostic factor in multivariate analysis. The common adverse events (AEs) were liver enzyme elevation (100%), nausea (72.4%), abdominal pain (65.5%), vomiting (55.2%), post-embolization syndrome (34.5% of patients, 9.6% of TACE procedures), and pyrexia (24.1%). Grade >= 3 AEs consisted of aspartate aminotransferase elevation (34.5%), alanine aminotransferase elevation (51.7%), and serum creatinine elevation (3.4%). Conclusion TACE therapy has a certain degree of clinical efficacy with a tolerable toxicity and, therefore, can still be one of the treatment options. However, considering the lack of long-term efficacy of this therapy, further treatment strategies need to be developed.