One hundred-thirty seven patients with recurrences and metastases of skin melanoma (stage II-III) were divided into four groups in a retrospective study. In group I, there was no adjuvant therapy (47); it was given for 35 +/- 5 days after surgery in group II (31); for 1-2 days after surgery in group III (31). In group IV, neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) was administered by way of preparing for surgery and adjuvant therapy (41). During both procedures, standard CVD regime of cytostatics pre-incubated in patients' autoblood was used: it involved distant gamma-therapy with single focal dose of 3Gy-total dose of 40 isoGy per primary focus and areas of regional metastasizing spread. The rate and nature of tumor progression being similar, signs of skin melanoma generalization correlated with terms of adjuvant therapy administration: in group I, cell dissemination was detected after 8.7 +/- 2.3 months; group II - 9.5 +/- 1.5 months; group III - 18 +/- 3.1 months (p < or = 0.05 groups I and II); group IV - 28 +/- 2.3 months (p < or = 0.05 for all groups), respectively. Use of NAT and urgent adjuvant therapy is expedient at advanced stages of skin melanoma.