Hyperthermic isolated regional perfusion in the treatment of extremity melanoma in children and adolescents.

From 1973 to 1982 six children and eight adolescents with extremity melanomas were treated by local excision and adjuvant hyperthermic isolated regional perfusion with Melphalan (L-phenylalanine mustard, manufactured by Burroughs Wellcome Company, Research Triangle Park, NC). The median Breslow thickness of the melanomas was 2.7 mm (range, 1 to 15 mm). According to the M.D. Anderson classification, nine patients were in Stage IA and five were in Stage IIIB. The median follow-up period was approximately 10 years. Distant metastases developed in three patients (21%) (one patient was in Stage IA [11%] and two patients were in Stage IIIB [40%]). In two cases the development of distant metastases was preceded by local recurrence (14%). The 5-year survival rate was 93%. The 10-year survival rate was 81%. The high survival rate, even for patients with unfavorably thick melanomas, seems to be attributable to isolated regional perfusion.