A REVIEW OF THE STATUS OF IMMUNOSCINTIGRAPHY IN PATIENTS WITH MALIGNANT-MELANOMA

As the incidence of cutaneous melanomas increases, a disproportionately higher percentage of younger patients are affected as compared to other cancers. Treatment of cutaneous melanoma is predominantly surgical, with survival rates dependent upon early detection and excision. Drainage patterns of centrally located melanomas, those in the thorax, abdomen, neck and proximal extremities, are often difficult to predict. Noninvasive diagnostic techniques for determining these patterns would therefore be useful for staging and better management of these patients. The development of monoclonal antibodies and antibody fragments directed against antigens on the tumor surface and labeled with various radionuclides has allowed for detection of these lesions utilizing standard Nuclear Medicine Gamma cameras. This procedure is known as radioimmunoscintigraphy. SPECT imaging may also be employed to allow 3-dimensional surveying. We review a variety of successful trials of radioimmunoscintigraphy utilizing monoclonal antibody technology in melanoma patients. The results appear promising, suggesting that this methodology may play a useful role in the management of patients with malignant melanoma.