title: Metastatic malignant melanoma.
abstract: Metastatic malignant melanoma is an incurable malignancy with extremely poor prognosis. Patients bearing this diagnosis face a median survival time of approximately 9 months with a probability of surviving 5 years after initial presentation at less than 5%. This is contrasted by the curative nature of surgical resection of early melanoma detected in the skin. To date, no systemic therapy has consistently and predictably impacted the overall survival of patients with metastatic melanoma. However, in recent years, a resurgence of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic developments have broadened our understanding of the natural history of melanoma and identified rational therapeutic targets/strategies that seem poised to significantly change the clinical outcomes in these patients. Herein we review the state-of-the-art in metastatic melanoma diagnostics and therapeutics with particular emphasis on multi-disciplinary clinical management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. markovic.svetomir@mayo.edu
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Markovic
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Flotte
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Kottschade
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: McWilliams
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Jakub
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Farley
authors.forename: N V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Schild
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Olivier
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vuk-Pavlovic
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sekulic
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Weenig
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Pulido
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Quevedo
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Vile
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Wiseman
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stoian
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Pittelkow
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011379:Prognosis; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18