Endobronchial Metastases from Melanoma: A survival analysis. Chaussende, Hermant, Tazi-Mezlek, et al. Clin Respir J. 2016 Jan 20.
Metastatic spread to the tracheobronchial tree from other than bronchopulmonary tumors is a common clinical problem. However, malignant melanomas, a highly metastatic potential tumor, is rarely metastasing in the airways. Therefore little is known about survival of patients with endobronchial metastasis from melanoma. The aim of our study was to assess survival of patients with endobronchial metastasis of melanomas according to clinical and radiological features, to determine any possible factor affecting survival.This retrospective study included 19 patients who underwent a bronchoscopy from 11 different hospitals. Data about patients' demographics, symptoms, radiographic, endoscopic findings and treatment were investigated to evaluate any possible impact on survival.Endobronchial metastases occurred at a median of 48 months (range 0-120) following the diagnosis of the primary tumor. 73.7% of patients had other proven metastases when the endobronchial involvement was diagnosed. Symptoms are not specific as well as radiological features. Median overall survival of the studied population was 6 months (range 1-46). Factors of poor survival were multiple metastatic sites, pleural and soft tissue metastasis. Different treatment modalities applied in our patients showed no effect on survival.Patients with endobronchial metastasis have overall poor survival, affected by multiple organ involvement, the presence of pleural and soft tissue disease, while no impact on survival has been shown by any treatment applied.Oh, yeah. Melanoma CAN look like that!!!! Matter of fact...it did for me: Got melanoma? Get yourself a melanoma specialist!!! And even then, your melanoma specialist may not know what you are dealing with. But, peeps!!!! I'm still here! Granted my endobronchial melanoma was more my presentation (albeit 7 and 3 years respectively after two cutaneous primaries!) rather than after melanoma had invaded many organs. I feel pretty sure, given its small size, that my brain met was an off shoot from my lung mess...rather than the other way around....but, that additional met was present at diagnosis. And YES!!!!! You have one rattie, dear researcher peeps, for whom treatment has had an impact on survival!!!! If heaven forbid this happens to you.....get the best care you can. Don't listen to answers that make no sense. Consider treatment even IF you have only "6 months to live"!!!! I'm still here after a lobectomy of my right upper lung followed by 2 1/2 years of anti-PD1 and my 2010 endobronchial met!!! Hang in there ratties! We are showing the way...bit by bit...day by day! And on my favorite day of all days....MARCH FORTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love, c |
You are the March forth poster child! :)
ReplyDeleteJust as an FYI- From what I was told about my brain met is that they all come from some tumor in the body. I was treated at Stanford in 2015 and that's what my neurosurgeon said. Turned out I did have a tumor in my lung- being successfully treated with Opdivo.
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