title: Hyperthermic isolated regional perfusion in the treatment of extremity melanoma in children and adolescents.
abstract: From 1973 to 1982 six children and eight adolescents with extremity melanomas were treated by local excision and adjuvant hyperthermic isolated regional perfusion with Melphalan (L-phenylalanine mustard, manufactured by Burroughs Wellcome Company, Research Triangle Park, NC). The median Breslow thickness of the melanomas was 2.7 mm (range, 1 to 15 mm). According to the M.D. Anderson classification, nine patients were in Stage IA and five were in Stage IIIB. The median follow-up period was approximately 10 years. Distant metastases developed in three patients (21%) (one patient was in Stage IA [11%] and two patients were in Stage IIIB [40%]). In two cases the development of distant metastases was preceded by local recurrence (14%). The 5-year survival rate was 93%. The 10-year survival rate was 81%. The high survival rate, even for patients with unfavorably thick melanomas, seems to be attributable to isolated regional perfusion.
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology, University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Baas
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Hoekstra
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schraffordt Koops
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Oosterhuis
authors.forename: L T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: van der Weele
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D010478:Chemotherapy, Cancer, Regional Perfusion; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005121:Extremities; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced / Q000379:methods*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*