Understanding and Treating Mucosal Melanoma
Source: Targeted Oncology, April 2023
In season 4, episode 4 of Targeted Talks, Richard D. Carvajal, MD, deputy physician in chief and director of Medical Oncology, Northwell Health Cancer Institute, discusses mucosal melanoma and treatment options for the disease.
The prognosis of mucosal melanoma is difficult to treat, and outcomes for patients are not as satisfactory as with other melanoma types, like cutaneous melanoma, according to Carvajal. One factor contributing to poor prognosis in patients with mucosal melanoma is the fact that the disease is often diagnosed in the later stages, Carvajal explains.
Carvajal also notes that there has been an increasing interested in studying the biology of mucosal melanoma, which may lead to better therapies in the future. However, despite clinical trials that investigated chemotherapy vs interferon therapy and the use of checkpoint blockade, there have been no recent FDA approvals for mucosal melanoma.