Future perspectives in melanoma research. Meeting report from the "Melanoma Bridge. Napoli, December 2nd-4th 2012".

Recent insights into the genetic and somatic aberrations have initiated a new era of rapidly evolving targeted and immune-based treatments for melanoma. After decades of unsuccessful attempts to finding a more effective cure in the treatment of melanoma now we have several drugs active in melanoma. The possibility to use these drugs in combination to improve responses to overcome the resistance, to potentiate the action of immune system with the new immunomodulating antibodies, and identification of biomarkers that can predict the response to a particular therapy represent new concepts and approaches in the clinical management of melanoma.

Prognostic significance of mitotic rate in localized primary cutaneous melanoma: an analysis of patients in the multi-institutional American Joint Committee on Cancer melanoma staging database.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the independent prognostic value of primary tumor mitotic rate compared with other clinical and pathologic features of stages I and II melanoma.

Methods: From the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) melanoma staging database, information was extracted for 13,296 patients with stages I and II disease who had mitotic rate data available.

Results: Survival times declined as mitotic rate increased.

Multivariate analysis of prognostic factors among 2,313 patients with stage III melanoma: comparison of nodal micrometastases versus macrometastases.

Purpose: To determine the survival rates and independent predictors of survival using a contemporary international cohort of patients with stage III melanoma.

Patients And Methods: Complete clinicopathologic and follow-up data were available for 2,313 patients with stage III disease in an updated and expanded American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) melanoma staging database. Kaplan-Meier and Cox multivariate survival analyses were performed.

Role of surgery in treatment of advanced differentiated thyroid carcinomas.

Well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas are characterized by a long natural history. The evolution of the reconstructive techniques and the improvement of the peri-operative anaestesiologist management of the patient have contributed, over the last few years, to a progressive widening of demolitive surgery. The aims of enlarged surgical treatment in differentiated advanced thyroid carcinomas are to guarantee respiratory and alimentary functions as well as symptomatic benefits, to obtain local control of the disease and the recovery of adjuvant therapeutic options, such as metabolic and conventional radiation.