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Background: Uveal melanoma is a rare intraocular tumour, for which there is currently no national evidence-based guideline in Germany. The aim of this project was to provide a common standard operating procedure (SOP) for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care of uveal melanoma, within the network of German leading oncology centres funded by German Cancer Aid. The SOP was created as part of a moderated consensus process., Results and Conclusion: In a multistage process, a common SOP was developed for the diagnosis, therapy and follow-up of uveal melanoma, as based on current knowledge of the subject., Competing Interests: There is no conflict of interest. The corresponding author confirms that there are no connections with a company whose product is named in the article or with a company that markets a competing product. The presentation of the topic is independent and the representation of the contents is product-neutral., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Background: In cases of rare cancer entities, such as malignant melanoma of the conjunctiva, there are often no evidence-based national guidelines available. Standard operating procedures (SOP) are an alternative in these cases., Objective: The aim of this project was to develop a consensus SOP for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care of conjunctival melanomas between the 14 Centers of Excellence in Germany supported by German Cancer Aid., Methods: The SOP was prepared according to a defined process including timelines, flow of information, and roles., Results and Conclusion: This is the first consensus SOP of the Centers of Excellence in Germany (certified by the German Cancer Aid) regarding diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up for malignant melanomas of the conjunctiva.

Unlabelled: From 1988 to 1992 the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK) entered 113 patients with Hodgkin's disease into three stage adapted trials (HD-4-6) from the German Hodgkin Study Group (DHSG). In an interim analysis freedom from treatment failure (FFTF) and overall survival (OS) of the SAKK patients (SAKK-pt) were compared to the remaining study population (GHSH-pt) (median follow-up: 30 months for HD-4 and HD-5, 24 months for HD-6)., Results: HD-4: SAKK (n = 16), DHSG (n = 241), FFTF-SAKK: 100%, FFTF-DHSG: 85%, p: ns, OS-SAKK: 100%, OS-DHSG: 99%, p: ns, HD-5: SAKK (n = 66), DHSG (n = 639), FFTF-SAKK: 90%, FFTF-DHSG: 85%, p: ns, OS-SAKK: 93%, OS-DHSG: 95%, p: ns, HD-6; SAKK (n = 31), DHSG (n = 411): FFTF-SAKK: 62%, FFTF-DHSG: 68%, p: ns, OS-SAKK: 70%, OS-DHSG: 88%, p < 0.008. The results in the SAKK patients with advanced disease are unsatisfactory. Despite the fact that the treatment was given on time with full doses, 10/30 patients achieved no complete remission (CR). Only one patient relapsed after an initial CR. 6 patients had primary progressive disease. 6 patients died despite conventional salvage chemotherapy. High dose chemotherapy/autologous bone marrow transplantation (HDC/ABMT) was only given to 3 out of 8 potential candidates. Only 2/11 patients are still alive and disease-free after relapse or initial progression. Both had received HDC/ABMT as part of their salvage regimen. This interim analysis identifies a group of patients in which treatment strategies need to be optimized.