skip to content
Dovepress - Open Access to Scientific and Medical Research
View our mobile site

12013

Treatment of cutaneous melanoma: current approaches and future prospects



Review

(5442) Total Article Views


Authors: Alain P Algazi, Christopher W Soon, Adil I Daud

Published Date August 2010 Volume 2010:2 Pages 197 - 211
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/CMAR.S6073

Alain P Algazi1, Christopher W Soon2, Adil I Daud1

1Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, 2Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, CA, USA

Abstract: Melanoma is the most aggressive and deadly type of skin cancer. Surgical resection with or without lymph node sampling is the standard of care for primary cutaneous melanoma. Adjuvant therapy decisions may be informed by careful consideration of prognostic factors. High-dose adjuvant interferon alpha-2b increases disease-free survival and may modestly improve overall survival. Less toxic alternatives for adjuvant therapy are currently under study. External beam radiation therapy is an option for nodal beds where the risk of local recurrence is very high. In-transit melanoma metastases may be treated locally with surgery, immunotherapy, radiation, or heated limb perfusion. For metastatic melanoma, the options include chemotherapy or immunotherapy; targeted anti-BRAF and anti-KIT therapy is under active investigation. Standard chemotherapy yields objective tumor responses in approximately 10%–20% of patients, and sustained remissions are uncommon. Immunotherapy with high-dose interleukin-2 yields objective tumor responses in a minority of patients; however, some of these responses may be durable. Identification of activating mutations of BRAF, NRAS, c-KIT, and GNAQ in distinct clinical subtypes of melanoma suggest that these are molecularly distinct. Emerging data from clinical trials suggest that substantial improvements in the standard of care for melanoma may be possible.

Keywords: melanoma, resection, immune modulation, small molecule kinase inhibitors, chemotherapy, clinical trials



Post to:
Cannotea Citeulike Del.icio.us Facebook LinkedIn Twitter


Readers of this article also read:
  • ASCO 2013 Meet the Editor

    We invite you to meet Prof Dr Hans-Joachim Schmoll at the Dove Medical Press booth 22102 on June 1st at 11am. Prof Dr Schmoll is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal OncoTargets and Therapy (IF 1.26).