Metastatic Melanoma of the Gastrointestinal Tract

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Abstract
• Between 1954 and 1989, 41 patients with melanoma metastatic to the gastrointestinal tract underwent surgical treatment at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. The small bowel was most commonly involved (71%), followed by the stomach (27%), large bowel (22%), and esophagus (5%). Gross total excision of all intra-abdominal metastases was performed in 52% of patients. The postoperative mortality was 5% and the median patient survival was 0.8 years, with 1- and 5-year survival rates of 44% and 9%, respectively. Of the patient, tumor, and treatment variables evaluated, patients with small-intestinal metastases had a significantly worse prognosis. Although patients with melanoma metastatic to the bowel have a limited life expectancy, surgical resection of their metastases provides effective palliation. Operative treatment of selected patients with symptomatic melanoma metastatic to the gastrointestinal tract is a worthwhile undertaking. (Arch Surg. 1991;126:1353-1358)

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