PLASTIC SURGERY OF WOUND DEFECTS WITH FREE GRAFTS AFTER MALIGNANT SKIN TUMORS EXCISION: A PILOT STUDY.

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of applying negative pressure bandages (VAC bandage) in patients with malignant skin tumors after closing defects with free skin grafts and to compare it with fixation of skin grafts by the ordinary ointment bandages.

Materials And Methods: 61 patients with malignant skin tumors who underwent surgical treatment at the National Cancer Institute from 2019 to 2023 were included in the study. For the wound defects closure, the split skin grafts were applied in all patients.

LONG-TERM OUTCOMES OF SENTINEL LYMPH NODE BIOPSY VERSUS LYMPH NODE OBSERVATION IN MELANOMA PATIENTS.

Objective: evaluating the influence of sentinel lymph node biopsy without following completion lymph node dissection independent on sentinel lymph node status on the outcome in patients with skin melanoma.

Materials And Methods: Three hundred nine patients with a primary skin melanoma were randomly assigned to wide excision of the primary tumor and sentinel lymph node biopsy without following completion lymph-node dissection independent on sentinel lymph node status or to wide excision of skin melanoma. Low-dose interferon was administrated in the adjuvant setting.

Estimation of radionuclides global fallout levels in the soils of CIS and eastern Europe territory.

This study is devoted to the estimation of radionuclides global fallout levels in the soils of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Eastern Europe territory as a result of nuclear explosions. 58 standard soil samples were used, which were selected in different soil and climatic areas of the territory of CIS and Eastern Europe in 1978-2018. All samples were measured by gamma spectrometry.

Safety profile and clinical outcome of adjuvant radiation therapy and intermediate-dose interferon in comparison with intermediate-dose interferon alone in patients with melanoma metastases in regional lymph nodes and unfavorable prognostic factors.

Aim: To assess the safety profile and efficacy of adjuvant radiation therapy and intermediate-dose interferon in comparison with intermediate-dose interferon alone in patients with synchronous and metachronous skin melanoma metastases in regional lymph nodes with unfavorable prognostic factors.

Materials And Methods: 96 patients with synchronous and metachronous skin melanoma metastases in regional lymph nodes (stage III according to American Joint Committee on Cancer) and unfavorable prognostic factors were randomized in 2 groups: one of them (n = 45) received regional radiation therapy 50-55 Gy and intermediate dose of α2b-interferon (RT + IFN) in adjuvant setting and another one (n = 51) intermediate dose of α2b-interferon alone (IFN).

Results: The most common adverse events in both groups were pyrexia and fatigue but grades 3-4 were observed more frequently in the RT + IFN group than in the IFN group (24.

Burden of malignant melanoma in Ukraine in 2002-2013: incidence, mortality and survival.

Background: The malignant melanoma (MM) incidence rates were increasing and later stabilizing in many regions of the world, while in South-Eastern Europe incidence rates are uniformly increasing and mortality rates are higher.

Aim: To describe burden of MM in Ukraine in terms of incidence, mortality and survival by sex, age and stage for the period 2002-2013 and compare with European countries.

Materials And Methods: Database of the National Cancer Registry of Ukraine was used to extract MM incidence cases; number of MM deaths was obtained from the official mortality statistics.