Melanoma is an aggressive form ofskin cancer, but it is often curable in the early stages.
Fromimmunotherapydrugs to surgery, there are several possible treatment options that can be used, depending on the stage.
Stage 0 (In Situ) Melanoma
Stage 0 is the earliest stage of melanoma.
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Stage 0 melanoma is sometimes also called “in situ” lesions.
This means the cancer cells are localized and have not spread beyond the place where they started.
These stage 0 melanomas usually are treated through surgery.
This means the cells are removed, or excised, from the skin.
The provider also removes about a half-centimeter (cm) of the surrounding normal skin, called the margin.
This is done to ensure they have removed the cancer cells.
Radiation therapymay be used at this early stage, usually when surgery is not an option.
These medications are designed to help the body’s own immune system fight back against cancer cells.
In Stage 1A, the size of the lesion is 0.8 millimeter (mm) thick or less.
The procedure can lead to more precise staging and treatment plans.
Breslow Thickness
The Breslow thickness helps to determine 5-year survival rates for melanoma.
These survival rates are averages and may not reflect your individual case.
The substages of stage 2 melanoma cover lesions up to 4 mm thick.
It is often recommended for stage 2 melanoma, and occasionally for stage 1 as well.
In this procedure, a weak radioactive dye is injected into the melanoma.
In stage 2 melanoma, your healthcare provider may also consider immunotherapy drugs as a treatment option after surgery.
However, the evidence is limited on how effective these drugs or radiation treatments may be in this case.
Your chances of surviving a melanoma cancer are much better when it’s caught at an early stage.
Talk to your healthcare provider about whether you may be a candidate for any of these studies.
It’s important tobe your own advocate in your cancer care.
It is one of the main types of skin cancer, all of which have different features.
Melanoma lesions lack symmetry and regular borders, and tend to be more than one color.
Some research suggests a genetic link in nearly three-fourths of melanoma cases.
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