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Surgical treatment of brain metastases in malignant melanoma
Author(s) -
Brega Kerry,
Robinson William A.,
Winston Ken,
Wittenberg Wayne
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19901115)66:10<2105::aid-cncr2820661011>3.0.co;2-i
Subject(s) - medicine , melanoma , surgery , cancer research
The authors report the results of a retrospective review of 13 patients who underwent 19 craniotomies for resection of metastatic malignant melanoma at the University of Colorado (Denver, CO) between 1983 and 1989. There was preoperative evidence of extracranial disease in 11 patients. Eight patients had more than one intracranial metastasis at operation. Intraoperative ultrasound was used in 18 of the 19 craniotomies to minimize surgical trauma to the brain. the 30‐day mortality was zero. the 30‐day morbidity was minimal. No patient acquired a new neurologic deficit as a result of surgery. All patients regained at least their preoperative level of functioning. Six of the patients who were living at the time of review have been followed for 4 to 25 months (median, 7.5 months). the seven patients who were dead at the time of review survived 4 to 18 months (median, 10 months). These results compare favorably with the survival of untreated patients with metastatic melanoma to the brain (median, 1 month), patients treated with radiation therapy alone (median, 2–4 months), and those treated with chemotherapy alone (median, 2–4 months). the excision of metastatic melanoma from the brain, although not curative, may increase survival in patients with this problem with little morbidity and mortality even in the presence of other metastases.