Melanoma is rapidly increasing in incidence throughout the world. Melanoma accounts for only about 4% of skin cancer cases, but 79% of skin cancer deaths. There were over 59,000 new cases of invasive melanoma diagnosed in the U.S.A. in 2005; there were 8,000 deaths from melanoma in the same period [143]. With melanoma incidence increasing by 7% annually, within 25 years it is expected to become the most common cancer in the United States. One-fourth of melanoma cases occur in patients under 40 years of age, and it is the leading cause of cancer death in women aged 25 to 30 years old. While the prognosis is excellent for early stage disease, patients with distant metastases (stage IV) have a median survival of less than 12 months and over 90% die from their disease.
No treatment has yet been shown to prolong survival in Stage III-IV melanoma patients. Treatments beyond surgical removal of primary lesions and positive lymph nodes focus on relieving disease-related symptoms: palliative therapy with cytotoxic drugs, immunotherapy, and radiation.
