Current therapy for cutaneous melanoma.

Abstract

We review the current therapy for melanoma. The diagnosis, prognostic variables, staging, treatment, and follow-up guidelines for cutaneous melanoma are reviewed from the earliest to the most advanced stages. New guidelines for margins are discussed. A new, evolving, innovative radiographic technique, positron emission tomography using 2-fluorine-18-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose, may be useful to identify subclinical nodal and visceral disease. Recent advances with respect to tumor vaccines, gene therapy, immunotherapy, and interleukin 2 as well as current concepts regarding lymph node dissection are discussed.