[Combined and complex treatment of patients with II-stage malignant skin melanoma using hyperthermia]

Combined and complex treatment for stage II (T3-4N1M0) malignant melanoma of the skin was carried out 111 cases. In 73 of them, local and/or general hyperthermia was employed as cytostatic and radiotherapy modifier. Local super-high frequency hyperthermia was shown to potentiate the antitumor action of ionizing radiation on melanoma cells. Its effect increased with temperature rising from 42 to 43 degrees C. Application of hyperthermia in the said treatment was followed by a considerable increase in 5-year survival, viz. 49.4%. It was significantly higher than with standard treatment procedures (P less than 0.05).