Cutaneous melanoma
10.5124/jkma.2018.61.11.662
- Author:
Seok Jong LEE
1
;
Soo Jung LEE
Author Information
1. Department of Dermatology, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea. seokjong@knu.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Malignant melanoma;
Dermoscopy;
Stage;
Sentinel lymph node biopsy;
Immunotherapy
- MeSH:
Dermoscopy;
Diagnosis, Differential;
Drug Therapy;
Immunotherapy;
Incidence;
Joints;
Korea;
Life Expectancy;
Melanoma;
Rare Diseases;
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy;
Skin
- From:Journal of the Korean Medical Association
2018;61(11):662-669
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
The cutaneous melanoma has been regarded as rare disease entity in Korea for long time but it shows a silent growth recently. Furthermore the management of cutaneous melanoma including staging system, surgical principle, sentinel lymph node biopsy and subsequent complete node dissection and, most importantly, immunotherapy and target therapy against cutaneous melanoma recently. The incidence of cutaneous melanoma is steadily increasing in Korea but its increase is rapid recent 2 decades to 4.3 times and should be greater soon according to the steeper increase of life expectancy. New staging system proposed by American Joint Committee on Cancer (2017) includes changes in individual TNM category and stage groups, particularly from a prognostic viewpoint. Dermoscopy has been successfully introduced in the differential diagnosis of pigmented skin lesion focusing on cutaneous melanoma by non-invasive simple diagnostic tool. Sentinel lymph node biopsy was a issue of long debate whether survival benefit is real or not. Temporary conclusion about this question is reached after two large scale studies and immediate complete node dissection should be performed in a certain situations. Most important change is drug therapy focusing on immunotherapy and target therapy. Braf- and MEK-inhibitor, immune checkpoint inhibitor and PD-1 blocker has been proved to be effective as a sole or combination regimen against advanced and/or high-risk adjuvant setting of cutaneous melanoma. In conclusion, these remarkable changes will be reviewed shortly here.
