[Current treatments for advanced stage melanoma]

Melanoma has shown a greater increase in frequency as compared to other neoplasms, demonstrated by a 619% incidence increase in the USA from 1950 to the year 2000. Its treatment has always been a challenge, and once it has metastasized, there are no available curative regimens. In recent years considerable progress in the understanding of its pathophysiology and progression has been achieved; with the description of the genetic, molecular, and immunologic changes, new and specific drugs have been developed, with better response rates than conventional chemotherapy. Currently, a broad scope of therapeutic choices is available, although only eight are approved by the FDA. In the following literature review we present some of the better-known systemic treatment options for melanoma, from conventional chemotherapy, molecular (MAPK inhibitors) and immunomodulatory (interleukin-2, tumor necrosis factor alpha, cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 and programmed death-1 inhibitors) therapies, to miscellaneous options, among which are angiogenesis inhibitors, apoptosis modulators, vaccines, and radiotherapy.