Malignant melanoma treatment and follow-up management during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Melanoma is a public health issue due to its increasing in­ci­dence and young age of diagnosis. There are three types of malignant melanoma: cutaneous, uveal and mucosal, all with different incidence, prognosis and management. Some malignant melanoma treatments – including che­mo­the­ra­py, targeted therapies, immunotherapy and radiation – can change the immune response. People with weakened im­mune systems or with lung problems due to radiotherapy pneu­mo­ni­tis or immune-mediated pneumonitis or with lung metastases have a much higher risk of complications if they are infected with SARS-CoV-2. On the 20th of April 2020, there were reported 2,444,209 coronavirus cases and 167,986 deaths. There are various recommendations amidst COVID-19 pandemic on diagnosis and treatment of patients with different kinds of solid tumors. The ethical prin­ci­ple that should guide our medical decisions should be primum non nocere, respecting patient wish and try­­ing to do what is best for him/her, with fair allocation of resources. In this review, we wanted to evaluate and rein­force the recommendations on melanoma patients’ ma­nage­ment by searching for different medical societies’ re­com­men­dation. We found guidelines on how to manage me­­la­­no­­ma patients in different stages of the disease and how to treat best patients, minimizing exposure to infection.