title: Cerebral metastatic melanoma: correlation between clinical and CT findings.
abstract: Thirty patients with malignant melanoma and cerebral metastases confirmed by CT were studied. Metastases were classified according to their size: < or = 1 cm (group A), 1.1-4 cm (group B), and > 4 cm (group C), in order to assess the clinical course of the disease and predict the response to treatment with fotemustine. Group B lesions were the most common, independent of the site of the primary tumour, except for patients with rectal melanoma. Group C metastases were least common and were usually solitary. Asymptomatic patients usually had group A metastases, whereas those with non-specific complaints, hemisyndrome or neurobehavioural changes usually had group B metastases. The time from diagnosis of the primary tumour to discovery of disease in the CNS was significantly longer for those who had group A lesions, compared with those who had groups B or C lesions (P < 0.0001). Solitary lesions usually belonged to groups B or C, whereas multiple lesions belonged mainly to groups A or B. All the responders to fotemustine has mainly cortical, group A or group B lesions. Patients with group C lesions or leptomeningeal spread did not respond to fotemustine. Our findings suggest an association between the size of the cerebral metastatic lesion from malignant melanoma and clinical parameters characteristic of tumour behaviour.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Ichilov Hospital, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Merimsky
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Reider-Groswasser
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inbar
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kovner
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chaitchik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000556:secondary*; D003606:Dacarbazine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009607:Nitrosourea Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D009607:Nitrosourea Compounds; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D003606:Dacarbazine; C054368:fotemustine