title: Treatment patterns, outcomes, and resource utilization of patients with metastatic melanoma in the U.K.: the MELODY study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Advanced melanoma is an aggressive disease with a poor prognosis. Approved therapy is limited in the U.K. and, until recently, no treatment had improved survival over best supportive care. A deeper understanding of current clinical practice will help new agents find a place in future treatment pathways.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To document U.K. clinical practice for the treatment of patients with unresectable stage III/IV (advanced) melanoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  MELODY (melanoma treatment patterns and outcomes among patients with unresectable stage III/IV disease: a retrospective longitudinal survey) compiled registries of consecutive patients with malignant melanoma (any stage) between 1 July 2005 and 30 June 2006 from France, Italy and the U.K. Patients with advanced melanoma and ≥ 2 months of follow-up were eligible for analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 220 eligible patients identified in the U.K., of whom 117 (53.2%) received systemic therapy outside of clinical trials. Over half of these patients received dacarbazine as first- or second-line therapy. Healthcare-resource utilization was extensive and patients had short survival times: 1- and 2-year survival rates after first-line systemic treatment were 45.5% [95% confidence interval (CI) 37.1-53.6] and 24.7% (95% CI 17.7-32.3), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Systemic and palliative treatments used to manage advanced melanoma in the U.K. are associated with considerable healthcare resource utilization and poor short-term survival.
authors.affiliation: Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, U.K.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lorigan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marples
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harries
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wagstaff
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Dalgleish
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Osborne
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maraveyas
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nicholson
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pericleous
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bapat
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Middleton
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents