Radiation and Melanoma: A Phoenix Rising

Although radiation therapy is a mainstay in the treatment of many cancers, many oncologists do not consider radiation as a treatment option for melanoma due to the outdated perception that melanomas are "resistant" to radiation. Fortunately, the advent of new modalities of radiation therapy allowing for precise targeting of high doses of radiation therapy and the recognition that these higher doses can synergize with emerging immunomodulatory agents such as the checkpoint inhibitors have changed, and will continue to expand, the role of radiation therapy in the treatment of melanoma.