Symptomatic gastrointestinal metastases from malignant melanoma.

Twenty-two patients with symptomatic metastases to the gastrointestinal tract from malignant melanoma who presented to the Roswell Park Memorial Institute during the past 12 years were reviewed. Sixteen of 22 patients underwent abdominal surgery and most received satisfactory palliation. Of the six patients who were considered unsuitable for surgery, two died from perforation of the small bowel. The group had a median survival of 2.2 months. Thirteen patients with symptomatic intestinal metastases had a median survival of 4.5 months following resection of the involved portion of the intestine. One of these patients remains well, and free of disease 15 months later, and two lived more than 33 months after the surgical procedures.