Melanoma, myeloma, and sarcoma

Cutaneous melanoma is a readily curable tumor, with 85% of diagnosed patients enjoying long-term survival following simple surgical excision. There has been a steady increase in melanoma incidence over the past century. In the United States, melanoma is diagnosed in at least 54,200 people a year, approximately 15 in 100,000 (Jemal et al. CA Cancer J Clin 53:5-26, 2003). Disseminated melanoma is a devastating illness with limited effective treatment options, prompting the evolution of efforts designed to identify metastatic disease early and to develop novel biologic therapies. The application of immunotherapy has so far provided benefit to only a small percentage of patients. In the majority of patients with metastatic disease, many of whom are young, the chemotherapy or biologic therapy is unsuccessful.