Clinical Case: Mr. Phillips' Lymph Nodes
 
Symptoms & History

Physical Findings

Stop & Think

Lab and X-Ray

Differential Diagnosis

The Disease

Treatment

Conclusions

Quiz & Evaluation

Untreated, malignant melanoma is virtually 100% fatal.
  • During the radial or horizontal growth phase, melanomas are cured by surgical removal. 
    • This means a wide (2 cm) margin around the lesion.
  • Once the vertical growth phase has begun, malignant melanoma can metastasize widely (and to some places no other tumor will go).
  • In patiens with systemic disease, chemotherapy has short term usefullnes in 10-30% of cases.
    • alpha-interferon or interlukin-2
    • Dacarbazine (DTIC)
How do you make a prognosis?                                    Back
 

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