Brain may become ‘just another organ’ in treatment of metastatic melanoma

Source: Healio.com, March 2016

NEW YORK — A new paradigm is evolving for the treatment of brain metastases from melanoma that involves a greater role of systemic therapy, according to a speaker at HemOnc Today Melanoma and Cutaneous Malignancies.

“This is a very important problem, and we all know what an issue the brain is in melanoma,” Sanjiv S. Agarwala, MD, professor of medicine at Temple University School of Medicine, chief of oncology and hematology at St. Luke’s Cancer Center, and a HemOnc Today Editorial Board member, said during his presentation. “Melanoma is a very dominant cause of brain metastases; in fact, it’s been estimated that probably all patients who die of metastatic melanoma present with brain metastases at autopsy.

“The issue is that we’re becoming more successful in melanoma treatment,” Agarwala added. “When you beat melanoma systemically in other organs, if the brain is something you cannot fix, then that’s where you are going to lose a lot of patients.”