1. [Adjuvant chemotherapy in addition to radical surgical treatment of regional lymph node metastases in malignant melanoma].
- Author
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Czarnetzki BM, Aragon V, Bröcker EB, Krieg V, Bünte H, and Macher E
- Subjects
- Carmustine therapeutic use, Combined Modality Therapy, Dacarbazine therapeutic use, Humans, Hydroxyurea therapeutic use, Inguinal Canal surgery, Lymph Nodes pathology, Lymph Nodes surgery, Lymphatic Metastasis mortality, Lymphatic Metastasis pathology, Melanoma mortality, Melanoma therapy, Neoplasm Staging, Prognosis, Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols therapeutic use, Lymph Node Excision, Lymphatic Metastasis surgery, Melanoma pathology
- Abstract
Thirty-three patients with malignant melanoma and regional lymph node metastases who underwent lymph node dissection were additionally given polychemotherapy with carmustine, hydroxycarbamide and dacarbazine immediately before surgery and up to five times postoperatively. Twenty-nine patients were only treated surgically. These two groups were comparable as regards prognostic criteria, in particular tumour size, ulceration and the number of lymph nodes affected, although the individual follow-up periods varied considerably. The group given chemotherapy showed better results than the control group undergoing surgery alone. The log rank test yielded a significant difference (P less than 0.05) with respect to the probability of relapse-free survival but not as regards probability of survival time. Patients with ulcerated primary melanomas and with a large number of affected lymph nodes had a less favourable prognosis. The major side effects of chemotherapy were transient nausea and bone marrow depression.
- Published
- 1986
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