Clinical experience with ipilimumab in the treatment of metastatic or unresectable melanoma at the National Institute of Cancerology, Bogotá, Colombia : case series. Experiencia clínica con ipilimumab en el tratamiento de melanoma metastásico o irresecable en el Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Bogotá, Colombia : serie de casos.

Abstract

Objective: This study aims was to describe the clinical characteristics, progression and mortality of patients with metastatic or unresectable melanoma treated with ipilimumab at the National Cancer Institute between January 2013 and June 2015. Methods: We performed a retrospective descriptive study of patients older than 18 years with metastatic or unresectable melanoma on treatment with ipilimumab during January 2013 to June 2015 at the National Cancer Institute in Bogotá (Colombia). A descriptive analysis of the quantitative variables was carried out by measures of central tendency and dispersion and qualitative variables by means of frequencies and percentages. A comparison of survival (Kaplan-Meier) was performed. Results: A total of 22 patients were identified, with a mean age of 60.7 years (SD 15.2). 27.3% received management as first line, 59% as second line and 13.6% as third line. 59% completed the 4 treatment cycles and 40.9% had an incomplete treatment, given by limiting toxicity in 18.2%, disease progression in 9.1%, and death in 9.1%. We found a mortality rate of 0.0106/100,000 patients per month [95%CI 6.15-18.2] and a post-treatment survival of 6 months [95%CI 3.78-8.21]. Conclusions: This retrospective descriptive study suggests that the use of ipilimumab in our population has an efficacy and safety lower than that reported in international studies of approval of the molecule, so it should be expanded national data, with inter-institutional collaboration to know the behavior at the country level of the disease, and a cost and affection analysis should also be proposed to our population.