Melanoma
Conclusion
Early stage melanoma is highly curable with surgery, and in some cases, high dose per fraction superficial radiotherapy (1, 2, 3, 4,5, 6,10). Unfortunately, many melanoma patients present with advanced or metastatic disease that proves recalcitrant to traditional radiotherapy and inaccessible to complete surgical removal (7, 8, 9). When radiotherapy is applied, there is evidence that large dose per treatment regimens (hypofractionated radiotherapy) are more effective (13, 14, 15).
Reflecting their unique sensitivity to large dose per fraction radiation treatment, there is evidence that melanoma lesions respond more favorably to radiosurgery than to traditional radiotherapy, as large dose per fraction radiation treatment is exactly what radiosurgery delivers (16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24).
CyberKnife® has the distinction of being the only radiation delivery system that brings radiosurgical precision throughout the entire body, causing this device to match very well with the unique proclivity of melanoma to produce a wide variety of disseminated, inoperable or recurrent lesions. It gives melanoma patients an additional valuable weapon against their disease.
Written by Donald B. Fuller, M.D. – Radiation Oncologist