title: Current management of melanoma: benefits of surgical staging and adjuvant therapy.
abstract: Issues regarding appropriate management of stage I to III melanoma are addressed. Accurate surgical staging is critical to identifying patients who can benefit from therapeutic lymph node dissection and adjuvant therapy. Patients with primary tumors > or = 1 mm thick are appropriate candidates for sentinel lymph node biopsy, and node-positive patients benefit from therapeutic lymphadenectomy. Although the overall survival benefit of high-dose interferon has been questioned, the weight of evidence supports the use of adjuvant therapy in patients with stage IIB and III disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Louisville, J. Graham Brown Cancer Center, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, USA. kelly.mcmasters@nortonhealthcare.org
authors.forename: Kelly M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: McMasters
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Swetter
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001706:Biopsy; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha