For patients with a high risk for relapse after surgical treatment, an anti–PD-1 agent or combination of agents is generally regarded as an appropriate first choice for adjuvant therapy. In patients with very low risk for relapse (≤ 10%), targeted therapy may be a more appropriate choice to avoid the modest potential for irreversible toxicity.
As noted in the European Consensus-based Interdisciplinary Guideline, early results of ongoing clinical trials with PD-1 antibodies in the adjuvant setting will be available in 2020.
The chemotherapeutic agent dacarbazine can be used for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. However, a randomized phase 3 trial of dacarbazine versus temozolomide showed the response rate was 12% versus 13%, respectively. On the basis of this trial and the greater ease of administration of temozolomide versus dacarbazine (oral versus intravenous), most oncologists prefer temozolomide as a first-line chemotherapy drug for melanoma.
Learn more about available adjuvant therapies for melanoma.
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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Chih-Shan Jason Chen. Fast Five Quiz: Melanoma Treatment - Medscape - Jan 24, 2020.
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