SURGICAL TREATMENT METHODS AND EVOLUTION OF PATIENTS WITH MELANOMA FROM THE BUCHAREST ONCOLOGY INSTITUTE (original) (raw)
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Surgery and Staging of Melanoma
Melanoma - Current Clinical Management and Future Therapeutics, 2015
Early diagnosis and complete removal of the malignant cells are of paramount importance in the treatment of malignant melanoma. This usually requires a two-step approach. First, pigmented or amelanotic lesions suspicious for melanoma should be promptly biopsied and submitted to pathological evaluation, and second, the tumor should be subsequently excised with adequate surgical margins. The margins of the final excision are determined with the tumor characteristics in mind, as determined by the histopathological analysis of the biopsy specimen. Thus, removal of appropriate biopsy sample containing the fragment with the worst prognostic characteristics, is of substantial importance. As extensive loss of tissues may potentially influence the feasibility of further surgical interventions, such as the sentinel lymph node biopsy, the use of proper biopsy techniques is essential during the primary treatment of melanoma. Recommendations regarding the width of the surgical margin of excision are nowadays clearly defined for primary melanoma, and are based on the histopathological features of the melanoma. These recommendations, however, are sometimes difficult or impossible to follow, like in the case of specially localized melanomas, or certain melanoma subtypes. This chapter summarizes the available evidence regarding different biopsy techniques and the surgical management of primary melanoma. 2.1. Biopsy of melanoma suspect lesions The primary aim of performing biopsy in the case of a melanoma suspect lesion is to establish or exclude the diagnosis of melanoma. An additional goal is to ensure accurate pathological staging of the tumor in order to enable adequate surgical management by performing wide local excision (WLE). Excisional, incisional and shave biopsy techniques are used in the surgical treatment of melanoma. 2.1.1. Excisional biopsy The preferred biopsy technique for most melanomas is excisional biopsy.[1,2] This means that the entire lesion is removed with an additional 1-3 mm margin of normal-appearing skin. Wider excisions, however, should be avoided, to permit subsequent lymphatic mapping for sentinel lymph node biopsy. Generally, the excised tissue sample should contain part of the subcutaneous fat as well, and should be oriented to aid subsequent histopathological evaluation. The positioning of the excision also should possibly allow for subsequent wider excisions. The excisional biopsy technique can be used in most melanomas, when primary closure of the wound is feasible. Although the lowest frequency of positive margins is reported when excisional biopsy is used, positive margins and even residual melanoma on WLE do occur.[3] 2.1.2. Incisional biopsy The reported frequency of excisional biopsy technique used for diagnosing melanoma varies significantly with centers, countries, and individuals, and ranges between 10 and 86 percent.
Surgical management of melanoma: an EORTC Melanoma Group survey
Ecancermedicalscience, 2013
The objective of the article is to explore the surgical practices and views in the treatment of melanoma within members and non-members of the EORTC Melanoma Group (MG) during the years 2003-2005. An e-mail questionnaire (see appendix) developed within the EORTC MG was sent to all melanoma units (MUs) of the EORTC (180) and to selected international centres between 2003 and 2005. The questionnaire investigated the different practices regarding surgical management of melanoma patients at all stages. A total of 75 questionnaires were returned from centres in Europe (70), Israel (3), Australia (1) and the United States (1). Resection margins on primary melanoma vary according to AJCC 2002 staging. Sixty three of 75 MUs perform Sentinel node biopsy. Modified radical neck dissection is performed in 82% of MUs for macrometastases and in 80% of MUs for micrometastases. Most MUs surveyed perform all three levels of Berg axillary dissection whether for macrometastases (79%) or micrometastase...
Surgery and radiotherapy in the treatment of cutaneous melanoma
Annals of Oncology, 2009
Adequate surgical management of primary melanoma and regional lymph node metastasis, and rarely distant metastasis, is the only established curative treatment. Surgical management of primary melanomas consists of excisions with 1-2 cm margins and primary closure. The recommended method of biopsy is excisional biopsy with a 2 mm margin and a small amount of subcutaneous fat. In specific situations (very large lesions or certain anatomical areas), full-thickness incisional or punch biopsy may be acceptable. Sentinel lymph node biopsy provides accurate staging information for patients with clinically unaffected regional nodes and without distant metastases, although survival benefit has not been proved. In cases of positive sentinel node biopsy or clinically detected regional nodal metastases (palpable, positive cytology or histopathology), radical removal of lymph nodes of the involved basin is indicated. For resectable local/in-transit recurrences, excision with a clear margin is recommended. For numerous or unresectable in-transit metastases of the extremities, isolated limb perfusion or infusion with melphalan should be considered. Decisions about surgery of distant metastases should be based on individual circumstances. Radiotherapy is indicated as a treatment option in select patients with lentigo maligna melanoma and as an adjuvant in select patients with regional metastatic disease. Radiotherapy is also indicated for palliation, especially in bone and brain metastases.
Melanoma Research, 2008
The primary treatment of a melanoma is surgical excision. An excisional biopsy is preferred, and safety margins of 1 cm for tumor thickness up to 2 mm and 2 cm for higher tumor thickness should be applied either at primary excision or in a two-step procedure. When dealing with facial, acral or anogenital melanomas, micrographic control of the surgical margins may be preferable to allow reduced safety margins and conservation of tissue. The sentinel lymph node biopsy should be performed in patients whose primary melanoma is thicker than 1.0 mm and this operation should be performed in centers where both the operative and nuclear medicine teams are experienced. In clinically identified lymph node metastases, radical lymph node dissection is considered standard therapy. If distant metastases involve just one internal organ and operative removal is feasible, then surgery should be seen as therapy of choice. Radiation therapy for the primary treatment of melanoma is indicated only in those cases in which surgery is impossible or not reasonable. In regional lymph nodes, radiation therapy is usually recommended when excision is not complete (R1 resection) or if the nodes are inoperable. In distant metastases, radiation therapy is particularly indicated in bone metastases, brain metastases and soft tissue metastases.
Cancers, 2010
Surgery remains the mainstay of melanoma therapy, regardless of the tumor site. Only the early diagnosis combined with proper surgical therapy currently gives patients affected by this malignancy the chance for a full cure. The main goal of surgical therapy is to provide the local control of the disease and to secure long-term survival of the patient without reasonable functional and esthetic impairment. The recommended method of biopsy-excisional biopsy, as an initial diagnostic and, to some extent, therapeutic procedure-is performed under local anesthesia as an elliptical incision with visual clear margins of 1-3 mm and with some mm of subcutaneous tissue. The extent of radical excision of the primary tumor (or scar after excisional biopsy) is based on the histopathologic characteristics of the primary tumor and usually consists of 1-2 cm margins with primary closure. The philosophy behind conducted randomized clinical trials has been to find the most conservative surgical approach that is able to guarantee the same results as more demolitive treatment. This has been the background of the trials designed to define the correct margins of excision around a primary cutaneous melanoma. Much less definition can be dedicated to the surgical management of patients with non-cutaneous melanomas.
Annals of Surgery, 1982
Twelve clinical and pathologic parameters were compared in two series of Stage I melanoma patients treated at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, USA (676 patients) and at the University of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia (1,110 patients). Actuarial survival rates were virtually the same at the two institutions over a 25-year follow-up period. The incidence of thin melanomas (<0.76 mm) was also similar at both geographic locations (25% vs. 26%). Other similarities of these two patient populations included the following: 1) tumor thickness (Breslow Microstaging), 2) level of invasion (Clark Microstaging), 3) surgical results, 4) sex distribution, and 5) age distribution. The greatest differences between the two patient populations were their 1) anatomic distribution, 2) growth pattern, and 3) incidence of ulceration. The trunk was the most common site of melanoma, and occurred more frequently among Australian patients (37% vs. 28%).
2012
Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is potentially the most dangerous form of skin tumour and causes 90% of skin cancer mortality. A unique collaboration of multidisciplinary experts from the European Dermatology Forum, the European Association of Dermato-Oncology and the European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer was formed to make recommendations on CM diagnosis and treatment, based on systematic literature reviews and the experts' experience. Diagnosis is made clinically and staging is based upon the AJCC system. CMs are excised with one to two centimetre safety margins. Sentinel lymph node dissection is routinely offered as a staging procedure in patients with tumours more than one millimetre in thickness, although there is as yet no resultant survival benefit. Interferon-α treatment can be offered to patients with more than 1.5 millimetre in thickness and stage II to III melanoma as an adjuvant therapy, as this treatment increases the relapse free survival. The lack of a clear survival benefit and the presence of toxicity however limit its use in practice. In distant metastasis, all options of surgical therapy have to be considered thoroughly. In the absence of surgical options, systemic medical treatment is indicated, but with, to date, low response rates. Therapeutic decisions should be made by the melanoma team and the informed patient after full discussion of the options.
Cancer, 1978
To determine whether immediate o r delayed lymphadenectomy is more beneficial than none in cases of localized (stage I) melanoma, we undertook in 1972 a prospective randomized study. Patients with midline trunk lesions were excluded as well as patients with lesions situated directly over the node-bearing area. In addition, because of the low risk of metastasis, the protocol was changed to exclude level 2 lesions. Of the 173 patients studied, 63 were randomized to no lymphadenectomy, 56 to delayed (3 months) lymphadenectomy, and 54 to immediate lymphadenectomy. None of these regimens differed significantly from the others in its effect on length of survival o r interval to metastasis. And of the 110 patients who underwent elective lymphadenectomy, 103 were without nodal involvement. Our preliminary conclusion is that elective node dissection is not beneficial in management of melanoma. However, disease progression was advanced significantly by age of the patient (>60 years) and by invasiveness (level 4 o r 5 ) and thickness (> 1.5 mm) of the melanoma.