The Use of Computed Body Tomography in Malignant Melanoma
- Irene Kostrubiak, MD;
- Nancy O. Whitley, MD;
- Joseph Aisner, MD;
- Pamela Goose, MD;
- Russell R. DeLuca, MD;
- Mukund S. Didolkar, MS, MD, FRCS;
- E. George Elias, MD, PhD
- From the Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Maryland (Drs Kostrubiak, Whitley, and Goose); and Departments of Medicine (Drs Aisner and DeLuca) and Surgery (Drs Didolkar and Elias), University of Maryland Cancer Center, University of Maryland Medical System, Baltimore. Dr Goose is now with the Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC.
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
MALIGNANT melanoma has no predictable clinical behavior. The Breslow depth and Clark's level of invasion are important prognostic factors, but their prognostic values are overshadowed by the presence of regional lymph node metastasis (stage III disease).1 In patients with stage III disease, the number and size of lymph nodes involved are prognostic indicators. For patients at high risk of recurrence, various therapeutic trials have tested surgery and radiation therapy, surgery and regional perfusion therapy, and immunotherapy and various chemotherapeutic agents, alone and in combinations. These studies have helped to define prognostic factors, but have had little impact on disease-free or overall survival. Response rates for treatment of advanced disease have varied considerably and may be related to sites and bulk of disease. Assessment of the amount and the extent of disease is necessary for evaluation of any therapy. Computed tomography (CT) has proved accurate in evaluating adenopathy,2-4 but
Footnotes
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Reprint requests to the Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Maryland Medical System/ Hospital, 22 S Greene St, Baltimore, MD 21201 (Dr Whitley).
