Melanoma: Treatments

How is melanoma treated?

Treatment of melanoma begins with seeking regular medical care. Regular medical care allows a health care professional to best evaluate your risks of developing melanoma, perform skin exams, and promptly order diagnostic testing for such symptoms as an enlarging or abnormal mole. These measures greatly increase the chances of discovering melanoma in its earliest, most curable stage.

The goal of the treatment of melanoma is to bring about a complete remission of the disease. Remission means that there is no longer any sign of the disease in the body, although it may recur or relapse later.

Melanoma treatment plans use a multifaceted approach that is individualized to your age, medical history, coexisting diseases and conditions, and the type of melanoma and its stage of advancement.

Melanoma treatment may include an individualized combination of:

• Chemotherapy for cases of melanoma that has spread beyond the skin to the lymph nodes and other parts of the body

• Dietary counseling to help people with cancer to maintain strength and nutritional status

• Immunotherapy for cases of melanoma that has spread beyond the skin to the lymph nodes and other parts of the body

• Pain medications as needed

• Palliative care to improve overall quality of life for families and patients with serious diseases

• Participation in a clinical trial to test promising new therapies and treatments for melanoma

• Physical therapy to help strengthen the body, increase alertness, reduce fatigue, and improve functional ability during and after cancer treatment

• Surgery to remove the cancerous tumor and surrounding skin

• Testing of nearby lymph nodes for the presence of cancer cells, which indicates that the melanoma has spread

Complementary treatments

Some complementary treatments may help some people to better deal with melanoma and its treatments. These treatments, sometimes referred to as alternative therapies, are used in conjunction with traditional medical treatments. Complementary treatments are not meant to substitute for full medical care.

Complementary treatments may include:

• Acupuncture

• Massage therapy

• Yoga

Hospice care

In cases in which melanoma has progressed to an advanced stage and has become unresponsive to treatment, the goal of treatment shifts away from curing the disease and focuses on measures to keep a person comfortable and maximize the quality of life. Hospice care involves medically controlling pain and other symptoms while providing psychological and spiritual support as well as services to support the patient’s family.

What are the potential complications of melanoma?

Complications of melanoma are life-threatening. Complications are caused by a rapid growth of abnormal cells. These cells can travel through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other areas of the body, most often the bones, lungs and liver. There they can multiply rapidly and develop new malignant tumors that interfere with the normal organ function. You can best treat melanoma and lower your risk of complications by following the treatment plan you and your health care professional design specifically for you. Complications of melanoma metastasis include:

• Higher risk of developing breast cancer

• Skin tissue damage to the deep layer of the skin

• Spread of cancer to the lymph nodes and other organs where it interferes with normal organ function