Brief overview of treatment options:
Surgical Resection of Melanoma
The primary treatment for melanoma is surgical resection, typically including a wide local excision of the primary melanoma skin lesion, plus sampling of the nearby lymph nodes if the primary melanoma lesion invades deeply (1, 2, 3, 4). For primary melanoma lesions that arise internally, such as those that arise in the sinuses, surgical removal plus post-operative radiotherapy seems to give the best result, although high-dose radiotherapy alone may also have curative potential in patients who are inoperable (5, 6).
In more advanced cases, selective resection of metastatic lesions (metastectomy) may also increase the disease-free interval (7, 8, 9). Because long-term survivors may be seen at all stages of melanoma, aggressive surgical or radiotherapy treatment of primary melanoma lesions, regional lymph nodes or even limited metastatic disease may be appropriate, depending upon the particular situation (7). Resection of melanoma lesions involving the lung has produced a 22% 5-year survival in one reported series, indicating that even if “vital organs” are involved, long-term survival is possible (8).
|
