melanoma

evidence-based cancer treatment — the discipline that insists on proof that time-honored medical practices and procedures are actually effective.
No ancedotal stuff please.
Pet cancer treatment can cost ten thousand USA dollars. This forum is for people to tell us how they were able to obtain cancer treatment when they had no pet health insurance to cover the cost. Rabie Vaccine caused cancer often is paid for by the company that produced the vaccine even when not legally required to do so.

melanoma

Postby malernee » Mon Nov 29, 2004 10:30 am

Systemic treatments for metastatic cutaneous melanoma

Crosby T, Fish R, Coles B, Mason MD

ABSTRACT

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A substantive amendment to this systematic review was last made on 22 February 2000. Cochrane reviews are regularly checked and updated if necessary.
Background: Systemic therapies for metastatic cutaneous melanoma, the most aggressive of all skin cancers, remain disappointing. Few lasting remissions are achieved and the therapeutic aim remains one of palliation.

Many agents are used alone or in combination with varying degrees of toxicity and cost. It is unclear whether evidence exists to support these complex regimens over best supportive care / placebo.

Objectives: To review the benefits from the use of systemic therapies in metastatic cutaneous melanoma compared to best supportive care/placebo, and to establish whether a 'standard' therapy exists which is superior to other treatments.

Search strategy: Randomised controlled trials were identified from the MEDLINE, EMBASE and CCTR/CENTRAL databases. References, conference proceedings, and Science Citation Index/Scisearch were also used to locate trials. Cancer registries and trialists were also contacted.

Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials of adults with histologically proven metastatic cutaneous melanoma in which systemic anti-cancer therapy was compared with placebo or supportive care.

Data collection and analysis: Study selection was performed by two independent reviewers. Data extraction forms were used for studies which appeared to meet the selection criteria and, where appropriate, full text articles were retrieved and reviewed independently.

Main results: No randomised controlled trials were found comparing a systemic therapy with placebo or best supportive care in metastatic cutaneous melanoma.

Reviewers' conclusions: There is no evidence from randomised controlled clinical trials to show superiority of systemic therapy over best supportive care / placebo in the treatment of malignant cutaneous melanoma.
Given that patients with metastatic melanoma frequently receive systemic therapy, it is our pragmatic view that a future systematic review could compare any systemic treatment, or combination of treatments, to single agent dacarbazine.


Citation: Crosby T, Fish R, Coles B, Mason MD. Systemic treatments for metastatic cutaneous melanoma (Cochrane Review). In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, 2000. Oxford: Update Software.
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Effect of natural and synthetic retinoids on the proliferation and differentiation of three canine melanoma cell lines.
J Vet Med Sci 64[2]:169-72 2002 Feb
Ohashi E, Inoue K, Kagechika H, Hong SH, NakagawaTakayuki, Takahashi T, Mochizuki M, Nishimura R, Sasaki N
The effect of two natural retinoids and synthetic retinoids with or without retinoid synergists on the proliferation and differentiation of 3 melanoma cell lines were investigated in vitro. No retinoids showed significant growth inhibitory effect on these cell lines when used alone, however, cell differentiation and significant growth inhibition were observed when treated with a combination of retinoids and a retinoid synergist. This study may suggest that, though the cells showed low susceptibilities when retinoids were treated alone, the combination of retinoids and a retinoid synergist may be effective to control the growth of canine melanoma cell lines.
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1: Lancet Oncol. 2003 Dec;4(12):748-59. Related Articles, Links


Palliative therapy of disseminated malignant melanoma: a systematic review of 41 randomised clinical trials.

Eigentler TK, Caroli UM, Radny P, Garbe C.

Department of Dermatology, Eberhard-Karls-University, Tubingen, Germany.

We undertook a systematic review of 41 randomised studies in disseminated melanoma, identified by a comprehensive search. We aimed to investigate rates of response to various treatment modalities and the outcome for the patients. We analysed seven studies that compared polychemotherapy with single-agent dacarbazine, six that compared different chemotherapeutic schedules with each other, five on the addition of tamoxifen to a reference therapy, and six that included non-specific immunostimulators. In 17 studies, the addition of interferon alfa, interleukin 2, or both, to a reference therapy was investigated, including trials with biochemotherapy. Many trials had small sample sizes and did not report a power analysis; not all were analysed by intention to treat. Although some treatment regimens, especially polychemotherapeutic schedules, seem to increase response rates, none of the treatment schedules was proven to prolong overall survival. Patients with disseminated melanoma should be treated with well-tolerated drug regimens, such as single-agent treatments or in combination with interferon alfa. Systemic treatments should preferably be investigated in randomised trials so that the potential benefits of new treatment concepts can be thoroughly examined.
malernee
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cancer treatment

Postby Cornel » Mon Apr 04, 2005 3:36 pm

One of the most promising cure in cancer seems to be the herbal immunemodulators like Curcuma longa and Cordyceps sinensis. I start to use these for about 1 year and 2 cases of melanoma in dogs were clinical improved .Now I give these herbs to all dogs and cat with leukemia and mammary cancer.
Regards
Cornel Gingarasu
Cornel
 


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