title: A Case of Vanishing Brain Metastasis in a Melanoma Patient on Nivolumab.
abstract: Melanoma is among the top three cancers to present with brain metastasis. The risk of brain metastases in advanced melanoma increases with disease duration. Cytotoxic chemotherapy does not have a significant role in the management of melanoma patients with brain metastases, neither alone nor in conjunction with radiation therapy.
  
  
  
  We herein discuss a case of a 66-year-old male diagnosed initially with stage III-B melanoma and underwent a wide local excision with a split thickness graft and sentinel lymph node biopsy, followed by adjuvant treatment with high-dose interferon.
  
  
  
  On subsequent follow up he was found to have a brain lesion, which later on resolved after starting ipilumumab. Five to twenty percent of patients with melanoma of any stage develop cerebral metastases.
  
  
  
  Immunotherapy modalities, ipilimumab has been shown to have activity against brain metastases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology Oncology, SUNY Upstate University, Syracuse, NY, U.S.A. basneta@upstate.edu.
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Basnet
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology Oncology, SUNY Upstate University, Syracuse, NY, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Nibal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saad
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology Oncology, SUNY Upstate University, Syracuse, NY, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Sam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benjamin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007372:Interferons / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D000077594:Nivolumab; D012074:Remission Induction; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D012878:Skin Neoplasms; D000096142:Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000077594:Nivolumab; D007372:Interferons
keywords: Nivolumab; brain metastasis; immunotherapy; melanoma