Adjuvant Immunotherapy and Radiation in the Management of High-risk Resected Melanoma.

Adjuvant therapy is widely used in melanoma cases because recurrence of disease after surgery is notoriously difficult to treat and usually results in the patient's death. Clinicians have a fundamental influence on the patient's decisions regarding adjuvant therapy, beginning with providing a clear understanding of the risk of specific types of recurrence based on features of the primary melanoma and status of the sentinel nodes and then explaining the morbidity of surgical treatment with and without adjuvant therapy. This review summarizes the role of adjuvant immunotherapy and radiation in the treatment of high-risk melanoma. We review the risks of specific types of recurrence as well as the potential oncologic benefits and relevant toxicities of available adjuvant therapies for high-risk melanoma.