Postoperative Management of Head and Neck Mucosal Melanoma

Clinical Scenario

This protocol addresses patients with mucosal melanoma arising in the head and neck region in the postoperative setting — following surgical resection, where the focus shifts to reducing local recurrence risk.

Specific Situation

Head and neck mucosal melanoma carries a significant risk of local recurrence after surgery. Postoperative adjuvant therapy is used in this setting specifically because local control after resection alone remains a recognised challenge. Radiotherapy is mainly used as postoperative adjuvant therapy for head and neck mucosal melanoma.

Treatment Approach

Postoperative management in this situation involves an adjuvant radiotherapy approach directed at improving local control — the specific regimen, fractionation, and sequencing are detailed in the structured protocol.

Full regimen details, criteria, and algorithm available via the protocol link below.

Instant Access to Structured Evidence-Based Regimens

References

Radiotherapy is mainly used as postoperative adjuvant therapy for head and neck mucosal melanoma.

Several retrospective studies found that adjuvant radiotherapy improved local control rates, with a meta-analysis reporting a 45% reduction in local recurrence risk.

DOI: 10.1200/EDBK-25-473858

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