title: Impact of high dose chemoimmunotherapy after surgery on the overall and disease-free survivals in advanced stage malignant melanoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate the impact of high dose chemoimmunotherapy in addition to surgery on the cumulative survival and disease-free survey of malignant melanoma patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 86 malignant melanoma patients [35 females (40.7%), 51 males (59.3%), mean age: 55.5] were treated according to their stages between Februrary 1997 and June 2007. After surgery, adjuvant immunotherapy was applied to patients in Stage 2, while adjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvan immunotherapy were administered to those at Stages 3 and 4.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall rate of mortality was 31.4% (27/86). The most frequent postoperative complications were wound infection (n=8, 9.3%) in the early period and lymphedema in lower extremities (n=4, 4.6%) in the late period. Temporary and tolerable complications ensourcing from chemoimmunotherapy were encountered in 9 (10.4%) patients. The survival rates and disease-free periods of combined treatment protocol were found to be similar to those in ECOG 1684 and ECOG 1690 studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adjuvant immunotherapy and chemoimmunotherapy seem to improve overall survival and disease-free survey in malignant melanoma. Further clinical studies are necessary to demonstrate the actual effectivity of this promising protocol in the management of malignant melanoma.
authors.affiliation: Kafkas University, Department of General Surgery, Kars, Turkey.
authors.forename: Çaglar
authors.initials: Ç
authors.lastname: Bilgin
authors.forename: Süleyman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Çetinkünar
authors.forename: Köksal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bilgen
authors.forename: Bahadır
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Celep
authors.forename: Serhat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tokgöz
authors.forename: Selim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sözen
authors.forename: Turgut
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karaca
authors.forename: Saadet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Özer
authors.forename: Gündüz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tunç
mesh_terms: D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011446:Prospective Studies