How to Treat Malignant Melanoma

A malignant melanoma is a cancerous tumor that develops in skin cells known as melanocytes, and is one of the most serious types of skin cancer as it can metastasize or spread to other parts of the body. Malignant melanomas start in an existing mole or in "normal" skin and particularly affect people who are fair or sensitive to the sun. There are four different stages of malignant melanoma, and each requires a different treatment.

Instructions

• 1

  Consult your oncologist or dermatologist, and consider surgical excision---removal of the melanoma and the surrounding skin---or skin grafting, which involves removing healthy skin from an inconspicuous area of the body and grafting it onto the affected part.

  These processes are commonly used to treat Stage 1 of the disease, when melanoma is limited to the surface of the skin and is less than 2mm thick.

• 2

  Ask your physician about using "block dissection" to treat Stages 2 and 3 of malignant melanomas. This process involves surgical excision in addition to removing the surrounding lymph nodes in the affected areas.

  Stages 2 and 3 are characterized by melanomas more than 2mm thick and cancerous cells that have spread to infect the lymph nodes.

• 3

  Ask your doctor's advice about using interferon treatments to reduce the risk of a recurring melanoma after surgical treatments in Stages 2 and 3, a process called adjuvant therapy. Interferon is a synthetic version of a naturally occurring protein that fights off infection, and has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat malignant and high-risk melanomas. The interferon is usually injected into the body and helps the immune system fight remaining cancer cells that could still be present in the skin or lymphatic system.

• 4

  If you have Stage 4 melanoma, in which the disease has likely spread to the liver, lungs or other organs, consult your oncologist about the use of interferons, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. This is the most advanced stage of melanoma and though there is no possible cure for the disease, drugs and therapies can slow its progress.