Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible for inclusion.
Specific interventions included in the review
Studies of IFN-alpha used as adjuvant postsurgical treatment were eligible for inclusion. The included studies used high-dose IFN-alpha (10 to 20 MU/m2) with a treatment duration ranging from 3 to 12 months, and low-dose IFN-alpha (1 to 3 MU/m2) with a treatment duration of 6 to 36 months. Medication was administered subcutaneously, intravenously, or intramuscularly. The control group treatment was not specified.
Participants included in the review
Patients with melanoma were eligible for inclusion. With the exception of stage IV, all stages of disease were eligible. The patients in the included studies had stage II or III disease. The included studies used different methods for staging disease.
Outcomes assessed in the review
Studies evaluating the relapse rate or overall survival were eligible for inclusion. The median length of follow-up in the included studies ranged from 3.5 to 7.4 years.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors did not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many reviewers performed the selection.