Treatment of melanoma is highly dependent on the condition of the individual to be treated. The main treatment in overcoming melanoma is through surgery.
Stage Melanoma Skin Cancer
Melanoma type of treatment depends on the stage of melanoma which you suffered. Staging system used by medical professionals to explain how far the development and spread of melanoma in both the skin and to other organs. Sequence-stage melanoma is described as below:
- Stage 0: melanoma on the surface of the skin.
- Stage 1A: melanoma thickness of less than 1 mm.
- Stage 1B: melanoma thickness 1-2 mm or less than 1 mm but with damage or injury to the skin surface.
- Stage 2A: melanoma thickness 2-4 mm or 1-2 mm but with damage or injury to the skin surface.
- Stage 2B: melanoma thickness more than 4 mm or 2-4mm with damaged skin surface.
- Stage 2C: melanoma thickness more than 4 mm and the skin surface is damaged.
- Stage 3A: melanoma has spread to one to three nearby lymph nodes, but the nodes are not swollen. At this stage there is no damage to the skin and has not spread further.
- Stage 3B: melanoma skin surface has been damage and melanoma has spread to one to three lymph nodes, but not enlarged. Melanoma or skin surface is not damaged and spread to one to three lymph nodes and lymph node is enlarged. Or melanoma has spread to a small area of skin or lymphatic channels, but not to lymph nodes.
- Stage 3C: melanoma skin surface is damaged and has spread to one to three lymph nodes and enlarged. Or melanoma spread to four or more lymph nodes.
- Stage 4: The melanoma cells have spread to other areas of the body such as the lungs, brain, and other parts of the skin.
Stage 1 Melanoma Skin Cancer
To handle melanoma stage 1, a plastic surgeon will perform surgery to remove the melanoma cells and a small portion of skin in the surrounding area.
Sometimes in the process of surgery, for some cases of melanoma will be general anesthesia, so you'll fall asleep or unconscious. But surgery for stage 1 melanoma generally done by local anesthesia. You will be awake, but the area around the melanoma will be numb and you will not feel pain.
If the surgery leaves scars inconspicuous, you can choose a joint operation to graft skin. Skin grafting means taking some skin from other body parts, for grafted or attached in the operated area.
Possibility for melanoma that has been raised will be back very small so it is usually not necessary follow-up treatment after surgery.
Stage 2 and 3 Melanoma Skin Cancer
Handling is done the same as in stage 1, the infected area of melanoma will be raised and if needed skin grafting surgery. If the melanoma has spread to nearby lymph nodes, you may need further surgery to remove it. General anesthesia should be made for this operation.
The process of removal of the lymph nodes containing the risks to your lymphatic system disorders. The effect can lead to accumulation of fluid in the body. In medical terms this is known as lymphedema. You are advised to continue to consult with a physician about the recovery process and be aware of the signs of melanoma will come back.
Stage 4 Melanoma Skin Cancer
Melanoma stage 4 as the worst phase can be divided into two conditions:
1. Melanoma has spread throughout the body (metastasis) when first diagnosed.
2. Melanoma appears again in another part of your body after previous treatment.
In the above two conditions, most likely can not be cured. Handling is done only to slow the spread of cancer, reducing the symptoms experienced, and extend the lifetime of the patient.
Surgery may be performed on melanoma that appeared far from melanoma cells first appeared. To reduce the effects of the symptoms that occurred, some treatment that can be done is radiotherapy and consumption of drugs.
Care and treatment that do usually have side effects that can affect your quality of life. If the results do not add much to the treatment of age or you do not feel the symptoms that cause pain or discomfort, you may be refused to all existing cancer treatments.
If you decide not to accept treatment, painkillers and special nurses may be provided if you need it. This is the kind of palliative care. The entire decision is in your hands.
Radiotherapy
To lift the lymph nodes after surgery and to relieve symptoms from advanced melanoma, radiotherapy treatments can be done. Radiotherapy applying controlled doses of radiation to kill cancer cells. Treatment is done in the hospital in a few daily sessions for 10-15 minutes at the weekend left to rest.
Side effects of radiotherapy include fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, hair loss, and skin rashes. Consult the side effects experienced by your doctor. Doctors can give a drug to prevent or control these side effects. These side effects will be reduced gradually as the live sessions that followed.
Medications For Melanoma
Chemotherapy
Handling melanoma that has spread to other body parts is to use chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is generally done to reduce the pain of the symptoms caused by the high-stage melanoma. The use of chemotherapy using anti-cancer drugs or cytotoxins to kill the cancer.
Several types of drugs can be used to treat melanoma. Specialists will discuss drugs with you. There are different types of chemotherapy drugs, can sometimes be combined. The most commonly used to treat melanoma are dacarbazine and temozolomide.
Patients undergoing chemotherapy do not need to stay in the hospital. Chemotherapy is given once every three or four weeks. Given the lag time aimed so that your body has time to recover. Dacarbazine and temozolomide is given intravenously administered in tablet form.
Chemotherapy has some side effects caused by the influence of drugs on the body's resistance. Most side effects can be prevented or controlled with medication prescribed by your doctor. The side effects of chemotherapy in whom infection, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, and canker sores.
Immunotherapy
The application of immunotherapy use drugs that have been derived from the elements present in the blood naturally. This treatment aims to encourage the immune system to fight melanoma. Two drugs commonly used for melanoma are interferon-alpha and interleukin-2. Both drugs are given by injection into a blood vessel, under the skin, or into a blob of melanoma. Side effects that often occur from the use of immunotherapy resemble symptoms of flu, such as fever, high body temperature, joint pain, and fatigue.
0 Komentar