Although the conventional paradigm for treating metastatic melanoma relies on systemic therapies, a surgical approach should be strongly considered in selected patients. A surgical approach may not be appropriate for…
Radiation therapy plays an integral role in the management of melanoma. Radiation therapy is infrequently needed for the treatment of the primary site, but there are occasions when it is…
For in-transit melanoma confined to the extremities, regional chemotherapy in the form of hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion and isolated limb infusion are effective treatment modalities carrying superior response rates to…
Adjuvant therapy is commonly used in melanoma because recurrence after surgery usually results in the patient’s eventual death. Surgeons have a profound influence on patients’ decisions regarding adjuvant therapy, beginning…
The technique of lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy was introduced 20 years ago as an important advance in the management of patients with stage I and II…
The surgical management of primary cutaneous melanoma, from the diagnostic biopsy through the wide local excision and nodal staging, must be carefully planned, and the biology of the melanoma, microstaging…
Histologic analysis remains the gold standard for diagnosis of melanoma. The pathology report should document those histologic features important for guiding patient management, including those characteristics on which the diagnosis…
Staging of cutaneous melanoma continues to evolve through identification and rigorous analysis of potential prognostic factors. In 1998, the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Melanoma Staging Committee developed the…
High-intensity focused ultrasound as a trackless, noninvasive method of ablating tissue has been a concept with potential for more than 60 years. It is only in the past 10 to…
The 5-year survival for all stages of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains bleak, having increased from 13% to just 16% over the past 30 years. Despite promising results in…
