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Laser and light-based therapy for cutaneous and soft-tissue metastases of malignant melanoma: a systematic review

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Abstract

Invasive cutaneous melanoma is a growing health concern. Although surgical excision can effectively treat in situ tumors, use for metastatic melanoma is limited. Laser and light-based therapies may be a valuable palliative treatment option for patients with stage III and stage IV cutaneous metastatic melanoma. Our goal is to review the published literature and provide evidence-based recommendations on laser and light-based palliative therapies for metastatic melanoma. A search of the databases Pubmed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and CINAHL was performed on March 10, 2016. Key search terms were related to melanoma, laser, and light-based modalities. Our search initially identified 13,923 articles and 27 original articles met inclusion criteria for our review. Grade of recommendation: C for non-fractionated carbon dioxide laser, Grade of recommendation: D for fractionated carbon dioxide laser, ruby laser, neodymium laser, near-infrared diode laser, and photodynamic therapy. Non-fractionated carbon dioxide laser had the best palliative efficacy of the reviewed laser and light-based therapies, while other treatment modalities may have potential as adjunctive therapy to standard of care.

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Abbreviations

LLBT:

Laser and light-based therapies

MM:

Metastatic melanoma

AEs:

Adverse events

ILP:

Isolated limb perfusion

US:

United States

AJCC:

American Joint Committee on Cancer

RCT:

Randomized controlled trial

CS:

Case series

CR:

Case report

LOE:

Level of evidence

PRISMA:

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

CO2 :

Carbon dioxide

MTZ:

Microthermal Zone

PDL:

Pulsed dye laser

Nd:

Neodymium

Nd:Yag:

Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet

nIR:

Near-infrared diode

ECOG:

Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group

PDT:

Photodynamic therapy

ALA:

Aminolevulinic acid

HPD:

Hematoporphyrin derivatives

MB:

Methylene blue

nm:

Nanometer

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Correspondence to Jared Jagdeo.

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Austin, E., Mamalis, A., Ho, D. et al. Laser and light-based therapy for cutaneous and soft-tissue metastases of malignant melanoma: a systematic review. Arch Dermatol Res 309, 229–242 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-017-1720-9

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