Skin Cancer Treatment Blog

Archive for the ‘Melanoma Treatment’ Category

One of the most dangerous forms of skin cancer is Malignant Melanoma.  It requires more aggressive treatment than the non-melanoma skin cancers because it tends to spread quickly to other parts of the body.  Immediate attention by a medical professional is necessary when this type of skin cancer occurs.  Melanoma treatment involves using certain surgical, chemical and radiation treatment methods to be successful in a patient’s fight against skin cancer.

Standard treatment of melanoma is categorized into four types of surgical techniques.  Some treatment options are currently in the clinical trial stage and are showing some positive results.  The four types of standard treatment for patients with melanoma are as follows.  1.) Removing the melanoma and its surrounding tissues.  2.) Making a wide local excision and either removing or leaving the lymph nodes.  3.) Removing the lymph and examining them for cancerous tissue.  4.) Injecting a radioactive dye into the tumor site and then removing the sentinel lymph node to see if cancerous cells are present.  If not, not further lymph nodes will have to be removed.

Chemotherapy is also used in the treatment of Malignant Melanoma to stop the growth of cancerous cells.  Drugs taken orally or intravenously enter the bloodstream and reach any cancerous cells present in the body.  Anticancer drugs to treat melanoma can also be given as a hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion.  This treatment method to stop the cancer is done by placing a tourniquet around a limb and then a warm solution containing anti-cancer drugs is put directly into the blood of the limb.

Other types of melanoma treatments being used in the fight against skin cancer are:  1.) Radiation therapy that uses high-energy x-rays or other radiation to kill cancerous cells or to at least stop their growth. There are two types of radiation therapy that are used.  External radiation uses an outside machine to send radiation to the patient and internal radiation uses substances sealed in needles, wires or catheters and places them directly into or near the cancer.  2.)  Biologic therapy uses the patient’s own immune system to fight the cancer.  Artifical substances made in a laboratory are used to boost, direct or restore the body’s own defense system against cancer.

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