Best Treatment for Stage III Melanoma

Stage III melanoma is characterized by cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes but has not yet spread (metastasized) to distant parts of the body. The three types of Stage III melamona are Stage III A, Stage III B and Stage III C. The determination of stage refers the extent of lymph nodes with cancer cells, whether the cancer cells in the lymph nodes can be seen without a microscope and felt during an examination and whether the primary tumor is ulcerated (the epidermis or outer layer of the tumor is not intact).

Surgery

• Surgery may be the best course of treatment for Stage III melanoma, as long as there are a limited number of tumors. The surgery performed for Stage III melanoma is called a wide local excision. The doctor performs a surgical procedure that removes the tumor itself, as well as a portion of underlying skin and tissue. The amount of skin and tissue removed depends on the size of the primary tumor. If this surgery is successful, all of the cancer cells are removed. If there are multiple tumors and/or all of the cancer cells can not be removed by surgery, adjuvant therapy may be recommended in conjunction with surgery.

Adjuvant Therapy

• Adjuvant therapy is a medical term used to refer to therapy that accompanies cancer-removing surgeries. Adjuvant therapy for cancer treatment normally includes chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy and other therapies designed to treat the specific cancer. Radiation therapy, however, has not proven an effective method of adjuvant therapy for Stage III melanoma. Systemic therapy, such as chemotherapy, administered intravenously, may be useful in helping to shrink the number of tumors and cancer cells so that surgery can effectively remove the cancer; however, chemotherapy has also proven ineffective at treating Stage III melanoma.

  Interferons, a form of biotherapy that makes use of the bodies natural substances to fight cancer, have also been used in the treatment of melanomas. Interferon alfa-2b, a manufactured form of the natural interferons produced by the body, has been proven to be the the only adjuvant therapy that can improve overall survival rates in patients with Stage III melanoma.

Therapeutic Lymph Node Dissection (TLND)

• TNLD is a surgical procedure designed to remove all lymph nodes in the area where cancer cells have been found in the lymph nodes. It may be performed in conjunction with the surgical removal of the primary tumor, or in a separate surgical procedure. The surgery can help to remove cancer and prevent the spread of cancer to other parts of the lymphatic system. This treatment has been proven to be an important treatment for patients with macrometastases.