Isolated limb perfusion: A therapeutic option for nodular and acral lentiginous melanoma

Abstract

Objective: To describe the initial experience in Colombia of locally advanced melanoma treated by isolated limb perfusion and compare the response rate of our melanoma subtypes with the literature. Methods: Descriptive, retrospective study of a series of patients selected between 2007 and 2016. Qualitative variables were analyzed with proportions and frequencies, and quantitative variable with central tendency measures and measures of dispersion. Results: 11 patients were treated by isolated limb perfusion. After the treatment, seven patients (63.6%) had partial response, two patients (18.2%) had stable disease and two patients (18.2%) had disease progression. Five patients (45.5%) had mild complications. Conclusions: Isolated limb perfusion is still an important treatment strategy for locally advanced melanoma, with the goal of improving the patient quality of life. The response can change according to the type of melanoma, and could be smaller in patients with acral lentiginous and nodular melanoma, although we cannot make this conclusion with this type of study because it has low power and lack of a comparison group.