Moreno Nogueira, J AValero Arbizu, MPérez Temprano, R2016-04-152016-04-152013Moreno Nogueira JA, Valero Arbizu M, Pérez Temprano R. Adjuvant treatment of melanoma. ISRN Dermatol; 2013:545631http://hdl.handle.net/10668/2174Journal Article;Melanomas represent 4% of all malignant tumors of the skin, yet account for 80% of deaths from skin cancer.While in the early stages patients can be successfully treated with surgical resection, metastatic melanoma prognosis is dismal. Several oncogenes have been identified in melanoma as BRAF, NRAS, c-Kit, and GNA11 GNAQ, each capable of activating MAPK pathway that increases cell proliferation and promotes angiogenesis, although NRAS and c-Kit also activate PI3 kinase pathway, including being more commonly BRAF activated oncogene. The treatment of choice for localised primary cutaneous melanoma is surgery plus lymphadenectomy if regional lymph nodes are involved. The justification for treatment in addition to surgery is based on the poor prognosis for high risk melanomas with a relapse index of 50-80%. Patients included in the high risk group should be assessed for adjuvant treatment with high doses of Interferon- α 2b, as it is the only treatment shown to significantly improve disease free and possibly global survival. In the future we will have to analyze all these therapeutic possibilities on specific targets, probably associated with chemotherapy and/or interferon in the adjuvant treatment, if we want to change the natural history of melanomas.enProliferación de la célulaInterferón-alfaGanglios linfáticosMelanomaRecurrencia local de neoplasiaFosfatidilinositol 3-quinasasMedical Subject Headings::Phenomena and Processes::Cell Physiological Phenomena::Cell Physiological Processes::Cell Growth Processes::Cell ProliferationMedical Subject Headings::Organisms::Eukaryota::Animals::Chordata::Vertebrates::Mammals::Primates::Haplorhini::Catarrhini::Hominidae::HumansMedical Subject Headings::Chemicals and Drugs::Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins::Peptides::Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins::Cytokines::Interferons::Interferon Type I::Interferon-alphaMedical Subject Headings::Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment::Surgical Procedures, Operative::Lymph Node ExcisionMedical Subject Headings::Anatomy::Tissues::Lymphoid Tissue::Lymph NodesMedical Subject Headings::Diseases::Neoplasms::Neoplasms by Histologic Type::Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal::Neuroectodermal Tumors::Neuroendocrine Tumors::MelanomaMedical Subject Headings::Diseases::Neoplasms::Neoplastic Processes::Neoplasm Recurrence, LocalMedical Subject Headings::Chemicals and Drugs::Enzymes and Coenzymes::Enzymes::Transferases::Phosphotransferases::Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor)::Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases::Phosphatidylinositol 3-KinaseMedical Subject Headings::Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment::Diagnosis::PrognosisMedical Subject Headings::Diseases::Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms::Pathologic Processes::Disease Attributes::RecurrenceMedical Subject Headings::Diseases::Neoplasms::Neoplasms by Site::Skin Neoplasmsreview article23476798open access10.1155/2013/5456312090-4592PMC3588212