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What Is the Role of Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Melanoma?

  • Skin Cancer (WH Sharfman, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Treatment Options in Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Opinion statement

The approval of ipilimumab and inhibitors of the BRAF pathway for the treatment of melanoma has provided multiple therapeutic options for patients. Although these new agents improve survival compared with chemotherapy alone, the majority of patients will progress and will receive chemotherapy at some point in the course of their disease. Whether the clinical efficacy of chemotherapy can be improved by targeting resistance mechanisms is an area of active investigation. In addition, chemotherapy may be of use modulating the efficacy of the newer agents.

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Conflict of Interest

Ahmed I. Megahed and Henry B. Koon declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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  1. University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    Ahmed I. Megahed MD & Henry B. Koon MD

  2. Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, 2103 Cornell Rd. WRB 2-132, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    Henry B. Koon MD

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Correspondence to Henry B. Koon MD.

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Megahed, A.I., Koon, H.B. What Is the Role of Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Melanoma?. Curr. Treat. Options in Oncol. 15, 321–335 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-014-0277-5

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