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“...we first evaluated the agents (IFN alfa-2b) that proved to be effective in settings that were less than rewarding, but then took these agents to a series of applications in large relapse-prevention trials...”
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The work cited has changed the direction of melanoma treatment in
the world at large.
What are the circumstances which led you to your work?
Long dedication to finding an effective therapy for melanoma, and
rigorous studies pursued through the national and international
cooperative groups.
How would you describe the significance of this work for
your field?
I think it has been seminal, as we first evaluated the agents (IFN
alfa-2b) that proved to be effective in settings that were less than
rewarding, but then took these agents to a series of applications in
large relapse-prevention trials, which ultimately gave positive
results that could be confirmed (twice).
How much has this research advanced since you first started
publishing on it?
Enormously. We have just sent off several articles that this year
will provide an understanding of the basis of benefit for IFN, and
the scientific underpinning for new efforts.
Where do you see this research going 10 years from now?
It will lead to new and more effective combinations, and focused
treatment of those patients who have the greatest capacity to
respond, and in whom treatment will therefore have an improved
therapeutic index.
John M. Kirkwood, M.D.
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
ccording to our Special Topics analysis of melanoma research over the past decade, the scientist ranked at #5 is Dr. John Kirkwood, with 106 papers cited a total of 3,001 times. He is also the lead author on the paper ranked at #4 on our list of the top melanoma papers published in the past 10 years, “Interferon alpha-2B adjuvant therapy of high-risk resected cutaneous melanoma: the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group trial EST 1684,”
(J. Clin. Oncol. 14[1]: 7-17, January 1996). In 
, Dr. Kirkwood’s work can be found in the field of Clinical Medicine. Dr. Kirkwood is Director of the Melanoma Center at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute as well as Professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In the interview below, Dr. Kirkwood answers a few questions about his melanoma research.