Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-29-2025
Abstract
PURPOSE: To assess efficacy and safety in subgroups of patients treated with Melphalan/Hepatic Delivery System (melphalan/HDS), a drug/device combination for liver-directed treatment of metastatic UM (mUM) patients. Previously reported FOCUS study results indicated melphalan/HDS treatment provides a clinically meaningful response rate and favorable benefit-risk ratio in patients with unresectable mUM.
METHODS: Patients with mUM received treatment with melphalan (3.0 mg/kg ideal body weight) every 6-8 weeks for up to 6 cycles. Post hoc analyses of efficacy and safety were conducted for patient subgroups based on demographic and baseline disease characteristics.
RESULTS: 102 patients with mUM were enrolled; treatment was attempted in 95 patients; 91 patients received treatment. Subgroup analyses showed consistent tumor response regardless of age, sex, geographic region, presence/absence of extrahepatic lesions, and prior therapy. Patients with lower tumor burden had better objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) than those with higher tumor burden (ORR: 51.1 vs. 22.2%, p = 0.008; mPFS: 11.3 vs. 5.8 months, p = 0.007; mOS: 26.7 vs. 15.4 months, p = 0.008). Patients with 1-25% liver involvement had higher mOS than those with 26-50% liver involvement (22.4 vs. 16.9 months; p = 0.030); patients with low or normal lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) had higher mOS than those with elevated LDH (23.5 vs. 15.3 months; p = 0.019). The overall safety profile was similar across subgroups without evidence of cumulative toxicity with successive treatment cycles.
CONCLUSION: Results demonstrate a favorable benefit-risk profile for melphalan/HDS across clinically relevant subgroups. However, early treatment in patients with low tumor burden may offer best results.
Recommended Citation
Zager, Jonathan S.; Orloff, Marlana; Ferrucci, Pier Francesco; Choi, Junsung; Eschelman, David J.; Glazer, Evan S.; Ejaz, Aslam; Richtig, Erika; Ochsenreither, Sebastian; Reddy, Sunil A.; Lowe, Michael C.; Beasley, Georgia M.; Gesierich, Anja; Gschnell, Martin; Dummer, Reinhard; Arance, Ana; Fenwick, Stephen William; Sacco, Joseph J.; John, Johnny; Wheater, Matthew; and Ottensmeier, Christian H., "Subgroup Analyses of the Phase 3 FOCUS Study of Melphalan/Hepatic Delivery System in Patients With Unresectable Metastatic Uveal Melanoma" (2025). Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers. Paper 320.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/medoncfp/320
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
PubMed ID
41461960
Language
English
Comments
This article is the author’s final published version in Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, Volume 152, Issue 1, 2026, Article number 52.
The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-025-06291-x. Copyright © The Author(s) 2025.