Metastasectomy for distant metastatic melanoma: analysis of data from the first Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trial (MSLT-I).

For stage IV melanoma, systemic medical therapy (SMT) is used most frequently; surgery is considered an adjunct in selected patients. We retrospectively compared survival after surgery with or without SMT versus SMT alone for melanoma patients developing distant metastases while enrolled in the first Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trial.