It is possible to treat and, moreover, cure melanoma. Melanoma belongs to the group of the most dangerous neoplasms, but thanks to the progress of medicine, it can be completely cured when detected early. Surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted. What does the multi-stage melanoma treatment look like?

Surgical treatment of melanoma

Surgical treatment of melanomais the first stage. It consists in a radical excision of the neoplasm with a margin of he althy skin 1 cm wide for melanoma up to 2 mm thick.

When the thickness of the infiltration is more than 2 mm, 2-3 cm of he althy skin is removed. The surgeon must also remove the superficial fascia to make sure that no cancer cells remain. If the lymph nodes are enlarged, they will also be removed.

With small tumors, the fascia is not removed, only the sentinel node is assessed, i.e. the first node on the path of the lymphatic vessels leading from the tumor side towards the regional lymphatic system.

The next stage of the operation is to close the wound. If the surgeon has had to remove a lot of skin, a skin graft is required, which is usually taken from the thigh.

Melanoma treatment: perfusion chemotherapy

Isolated limb perfusion chemotherapyis used when skin or subcutaneous tissue has metastasized, but more than 2 cm from the edge of the primary tumor. The therapy is based on the administration of high doses of anti-cancer drugs to the limb isolated from the systemic circulation. Then the limb is heated to 41-42 ° C, which allows it to destroy cancer cells.

Melanoma treatment: radiation therapy

Radiotherapyis used to treat melanomas when the patient cannot (or does not agree to) surgery and as local treatment when radical surgery is not possible. Radiotherapy is also used as an adjuvant treatment after surgery when it is suspected that the tumor has not been completely removed for technical reasons. It is also a palliative treatment method when bone metastases have occurred.

In the case of melanoma of the eyeball, radiotherapy is an adjunct treatment. In melanomas, chemotherapy is not used routinely as an adjuvant treatment after surgery. The reason is the low efficiency of the traditionally usedchemotherapy. If a doctor decides to administer it, they usually do it to - in the advanced stages of the disease - alleviate the symptoms of the cancer.

Melanoma treatment: targeted therapy

Targeted therapyraises great hopes among patients with metastases and among the doctors themselves. Modern drugs work in many ways. They can neutralize the mutant BRAF protein and thus stop the growth of cancer cells. They can also stop disease resulting from mutations in the C-kit gene by inhibiting its proteins, which signal to cell growth.

In modern oncology, it is also possible to combine new drugs with those successfully used in other types of cancer, and to obtain a two-stage blast effect. Such a cocktail stimulates its own immune cells, which actively fight cancer and at the same time destroy existing cancer cells.

Note!Immunotherapy , especially with the use of biomodulators such as interferon, does not bring the expected results even in combination with chemotherapy. It is similar with vaccines, which have not proved to be an effective weapon in the fight against melanoma.

About the expertMagdalena Ciupińska

Cosmetologist, professor at the Academy of Cosmetology and He alth Care

About the authorAnna Jarosz A journalist who has been involved in popularizing he alth education for over 40 years. Winner of many competitions for journalists dealing with medicine and he alth. She received, among others The "Golden OTIS" Trust Award in the "Media and He alth" category, St. Kamil awarded on the occasion of the World Day of the Sick, twice the "Crystal Pen" in the national competition for journalists promoting he alth, and many awards and distinctions in competitions for the "Medical Journalist of the Year" organized by the Polish Association of Journalists for He alth.

Category:

Oncology