title: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor 48109, USA.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*