Importance to the field: Regional therapy continues to be the workhorse for the treatment of regional metastases and unresectable recurrences of melanoma limited to a limb. These approaches also offer an excellent opportunity for the study of disease biology and new drug delivery, pharmacokinetics and pharamacotherapeutics. AREAS COVERED IN THIS EDITORIAL: Utility of regional therapy as an area of study, benefits of both isolated limb infusion (ILI) and hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion (HILP) are discussed. The limitations of both approaches to regional therapy are also referenced.
What the reader will gain: This editorial serves as a companion to the peer-reviewed paper which comprehensively reviews the subject of regional therapy by Tyler et al. It offers a brief commentary on the utility of regional therapies (ILI and HILP) for extremity in-transit melanoma and their role in investigating new therapeutic modalities.
Take home message: Regional therapy is an excellent therapeutic modality for disease limited to a limb and furthermore serves as an excellent model for scientific investigation, both clinical and translational.