Dacarbazine and/or Cisplatin Compared With Complete Metastasectomy in Treating Patients With Stage IV Melanoma
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2005-05-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as dacarbazine and cisplatin, work in different
ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Complete metastasectomy
may be an effective treatment for metastatic melanoma and may improve quality of life and
help patients live longer and more comfortably. It is not yet known whether complete
metastasectomy is more effective than chemotherapy in treating stage IV melanoma.
PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying dacarbazine and/or cisplatin to see how
well they work compared to complete metastasectomy in treating patients with stage IV
melanoma.