Open AccessSurgery as Palliative Treatment for Distant Metastases of Melanoma
Author(s) -
I. L. Wornom,
Judy Smith,
SengJaw Soong,
Richard B. McElvein,
M. M. Urist,
Charles M. Balch
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
annals of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.153
H-Index - 309
eISSN - 1528-1140
pISSN - 0003-4932
DOI - 10.1097/00000658-198608000-00013
Subject(s) - medicine , surgery , palliative treatment , melanoma , distant metastasis , general surgery , metastasis , cancer , cancer research
Sixty-five patients with distant metastatic melanoma amenable to surgical treatment had excision of 94 metastatic lesions from the brain, lung, abdomen, distant subcutaneous sites, and distant lymph nodes. Relief of symptoms, if present, was obtained after excision of 77% of brain metastases, 100% of lung metastases, 88% of distant lymph node and subcutaneous metastases, and 100% of abdominal metastases. Median survival after excision of brain metastases was 8 months, lung metastases 9 months, abdominal metastases 8 months, and distant subcutaneous and lymph node metastases 15 months. Sixteen per cent of patients lived for 2 years of longer. These results demonstrated that surgery can achieve an effective local disease control in selected patients with distant melanoma metastases and that a few have a relatively long-term survival.