Neurological complications of melanoma

Malignant melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in men and women. While a majority of patients present with clinically localized disease, brain metastases are found in over one-third of patients with advanced melanoma by the time of diagnosis. In instances when initial therapy is not curative, malignant melanoma will commonly metastasize and produce neurological complications. The treatment of advanced melanoma has traditionally been limited by relative resistance to radiation and cytotoxic chemotherapy. However more recently, the development of molecularly targeted therapy and immunotherapy has led to impressive improvements in outcomes.