Uveal melanoma is the most common primary intra-ocular malignancy in adults with an incidence of 0.6 - 0.7 per 100,000 per year. Prognosis of metastatic uveal melanoma is poor. In retrospective analyses a median survival time after detection of metastases of 5 months (Flaherty et al, 1998) and 7 months (Kath et al, 1993) was reported. For patients receiving no treatment reported median survival was 2.0 months compared with 5.2 months for those receiving treatment for metastases (Gragoudas et al, 1991). Up to now there is no established treatment of metastatic uveal melanoma. Some therapeutic approaches with locoregional treatment or systemic chemotherapy have been undertaken: In case of metastatic disease which is confined to the liver in about 85% of patients with uveal melanoma surgical resection led to a median survival of 14 months (Mariani et al, 2009) or 19 months and a 5-year survival rate of 22% in a selected patient population (Adam et al, 2006). As locoregional treatment option treatment with fotemustine via direct intra-arterial hepatic infusion was investigated and led to a median survival of 15 months (Peters et al, 2006). This was not a randomized trial, but a report on 101 consecutive treated patients. Additional debulking surgery was performed whenever feasible. A randomized phase III trial comparing intra-arterial hepatic fotemustine administration with intravenous systemic fotemustine and overall survival as primary endpoint is still ongoing (EORTC 18021). Thus, no systemic chemotherapy is approved for metastatic uveal melanoma. Although no specific genes have been linked to the pathogenesis of uveal melanoma, preclinical studies suggest potential benefit of inhibitors of Bcl-2, ubiquitin-proteasome, histone deactylase, mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase-AKT pathways, and receptor tyrosine kinases. Thus, sorafenib as inhibitor of b-Raf and Raf-1 (c-Raf or c-Raf-1), pro-angiogenic vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), and platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) may potentially lead to a benefit for patients with metastatic uveal melanoma in terms of disease control and prolongation of survival.
Name: Placebo
Description: two tablets in the morning and two in the evening.Type: DrugPlacebo blinded Phase
Name: Sorafenib
Description: 400 mg Sorafenib bid until PD if staging after Run-In was PR or CRType: DrugSorafenib Open Phase
Name: Sorafenib
Description: 400 mg Sorafenib bid until PD if staging after Run-In was SDType: DrugSorafenib blinded Phase
Allocation: Randomized
Parallel Assignment
There is one SNP
Thus, sorafenib as oral multi-kinase inhibitor that targets the Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway (CRAF, BRAF, V600E BRAF) in the cell and receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) such as VEGFR-2, VEGFR-3, and PDGFR-ß involved in tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis may potentially lead to a benefit for patients with metastatic uveal melanoma in terms of disease control and prolongation of survival. --- V600E ---