|
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that stems from melanin producing cells, melanocytes. Melanocyte’s main function is to produce melanin in response to the skin’s exposure to UV rays, protecting the skin from burns. The tumors that arise from melanocytes are usually malignant.
There are four stages to melanoma, and as the stages progress, the chances of a good prognosis will lessen. Stage one is when a mole or growth appears on the top layer of the skin. Stage two is when the growth has gone deeper into the skin. In stage three, the cancer has spread to a nearby lymph basin or to nearby tissues. The final stage is where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
For melanomas that are in stages one, two and three, the usual treatment is surgery, in combination with chemotherapy, immunotherapy or radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy is either used as a systemic therapy or localized therapy where chemicals through perfusion and infusion techniques are administered to the cancer site. Sometimes the entire limb where the melanoma is found, not just the tumor, is treated with chemotherapy..
Certain forms of therapy in immunotherapy are still in the experimental stages. There are two commonly used therapies today which are interferon and interleukin. Interferon is a substance that is naturally produced by the human body which boosts the body’s resistance to the cancer cells. Interleukin stimulates the body to produce more white blood cells. Vaccine therapy in immunotherapy is the one that is still in the experimental stages. It uses cancer cells that are made into a vaccine and injected into the patient. Sometimes the cells are from the patient’s own cancer tumor, sometimes it is made from tumors from others. The cells can be dead or alive and are sometimes mixed with other known immune response enhancers.
Finally radiation therapy is radiation that is directed at the localized site to kill or damage the tumor.
The American Academy of Dermatology says that one person dies of malignant melanoma every hour. The chance for recurrence of melanoma is there and therefor a person who has been diagnosed and treated for melanoma should have regular check ups. A person’s susceptibility to getting melanoma appears to be genetically linked. Thus all siblings and children and parents of the person diagnosed with skin cancer should be regularly check by a qualified physician.
| 
