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Review
. 2015 Aug;2(3):225-239.
doi: 10.2217/mmt.15.16. Epub 2015 Aug 10.

Management of melanoma brain metastases

Mary Frances McAleer  1   1 , Dae W Kim  2   2 , Van A Trinh  3   3 , Wen-Jen Hwu  2   2
Affiliations
Review

Management of melanoma brain metastases

Mary Frances McAleer et al. Melanoma Manag. 2015 Aug.

Abstract

Relapses in the brain remain a major obstacle to cure in many patients with advanced melanoma. At present, the management of melanoma brain metastases continues to rely heavily on surgical and radiotherapeutic interventions, which have become safer and more effective with modern imaging, surgery and radiation technologies. Additionally, novel targeted and immunotherapeutic agents, shown to generate meaningful intracranial response and survival benefit in patients with melanoma brain metastases when compared with historical controls, expand systemic treatment options for this subset of patients. These systemic therapies become particularly important when intracranial disease burden precludes neuro- or radio-surgery. Considerable multidisciplinary research effort is ongoing to improve outcomes for melanoma patients with brain metastases, a key challenge in the management of advanced melanoma.

Keywords: advanced melanoma; brain metastases; immunotherapy; neurosurgery; radiation therapy; systemic therapy; targeted therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Financial & competing interests disclosure W-J Hwu receives grant and research funding from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Medimmune and serves as an advisor on Merck Melanoma US Advisory Board. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financialinvolvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

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