The increasing incidence of malignant melanoma in European populations and the promise of new immunotherapies have provided impetus to the field of melanoma research. Metastatic melanoma is rarely curable, but chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy may increase the time to disease progression and the survival duration. Patients with resectable disease who are at high risk of relapse may receive adjuvant immunotherapy, with the primary aim of preventing recurrence. Results from 3 randomised phase III trials in patients with melanoma were presented at the 25th Congress of the European Society of Medical Oncology [Hamburg, Germany; October 2000], 2 of which were included as conference highlights in the Presidential Symposium.