Pathologic complete response of a solitary melanoma brain metastasis after local ablative radiation therapy: case report.
A 73-year-old female with malignant melanoma metastatic to her left frontal lobe status post-gross total resection of the metastasis, whole brain radiotherapy, and Gamma Knife-based stereotactic radiosurgery for local recurrence presented with an area of increasing enhancement on follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and hypermetabolic lesions on 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (18FDG PET/CT) of the brain suspicious for tumor recurrence. Surgical resection of the lesion was performed showing radiation necrosis with no evidence of tumor. The patient was alive 1 year after her second craniotomy. This case illustrates that despite being perceived as a radioresistant histology, complete local eradication of melanoma is possible with ablative dose regimens. Prolonged survival is possible in patients with limited metastatic melanoma if local tumor control is achieved.
Register
Steven
S
Mount Carmel Health System, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. stevenregistermd@gmail.com
Clarke
James W
JW
Chaudhury
Abhik Ray
AR
Lo
Simon S
SS
D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D016371:Cranial Irradiation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011379:Prognosis; D016634:Radiosurgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed