title: Long-term survival in stage IV melanoma after repetitive surgical therapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Surgical therapy in patients with stage IV melanoma is controversial and always an individual decision.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report the case of a young melanoma patient, who underwent resection of 5 distant metastases from 4 different organ systems. Thereby, the patient achieved a stable state of disease and a good quality of life for up to now 67 months without any evidence for further tumor manifestations at present. A systemic chemo- or immunotherapy was never applied.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In selected patients with stage IV melanoma, surgery alone can provide long-term survival with good quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Klinik fur Chirurgie und Chirurgische Onkologie, Robert-Rossle-Klinik, Campus Buch im Helios-Klinikum, Charité Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Tsvetomir
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tomov
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Siegel
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bembenek
mesh_terms: D000008:Abdominal Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008545:Melanoma / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D009372:Neoplasms, Connective Tissue / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D012086:Reoperation; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome