Melanoma that is treated early can be cured. Treatment for melanoma depends on the stage. Stages are used to describe how much the cancer has worsened or spread.

Stages and Treatments

There are multiple stages of melanoma, as well as several types of common treatments that are described in more detail below.

Stage 0 – This stage of melanoma is called melanoma in situ, which means that abnormal cells are in the outer layer of the skin. These abnormal cells may become cancerous and spread.

Treatment for Stage 0 melanoma may include:

• Surgery
• Imiquimod cream
• Radiation therapy

Stage I – In this stage of melanoma, the tumor is no larger than 1 millimeter thick, with or without a break in the skin. The tumor may also be more than 1, but not more than 2, millimeters thick, without a break in the skin.

Treatment for Stage I melanoma may include:

• Surgery
• Lymph node dissection

Stage II – In this stage of melanoma, the tumor is no larger than 1, but not more than 2, millimeters thick, with a break in the skin. The tumor may also be more than 2, but not more than 4, millimeters thick, with or without a break in the skin.

Treatment for Stage II melanoma may include:

• Surgery
• Lymph node dissection

Stage III – In this stage of melanoma, the tumor is not larger than 1 millimeter thick, with a break in the skin. The tumor may also not be larger than 2 millimeters, without a break in the skin and has spread to 1 to 3 lymph nodes. The tumor may also be larger than 2, but not more than 4, millimeters thick, without a break in the skin, and the tumor has spread.

Treatment for Stage III melanoma may include:

• Surgery
• Lymph node dissection
• Targeted therapy
• Radiation therapy
• Immunotherapy
• Chemotherapy

Stage IV – In this stage of melanoma, the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the brain, lung, liver, and bone.

Treatments for Stage IV melanoma may include:

• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Targeted therapy
• Immunotherapy
• Chemotherapy

Types of Treatments

Treatment for melanoma depends on the stage of the cancer. Treatment for melanoma may include:

• Surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy
• Immunotherapy
• Targeted therapy

Surgery – Surgery is the primary treatment for melanoma and is focused on removing all of the tumor. If a wide area of melanoma must be removed, then a skin graft may be necessary. The nearby lymph nodes may be biopsied or removed. If the melanoma has spread to other areas of the body, such as the brain, lung, or bone, additional surgery may be necessary. 

Chemotherapy – Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells and can be used alone or in combination with other treatments. Chemotherapy may be given via a pill or directly into the area affected by melanoma.

Chemotherapy drugs for the treatment of melanoma may include:

• Carmustine
• Cisplatin
• Cyclophosamide
• Dacarbazine

Radiation therapy – Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays, protons, or other types of radiation to stop cancer cells from growing or to kill them.

Immunotherapy, also called biologics – Immunotherapy helps the patient’s immune system, or the body’s natural defenses, to kill melanoma cells.

Immunotherapy drugs used to the treatment of melanoma include:

• Ipililumab
• Pembrolizumab
• Nivolumab

Targeted therapy – Targeted therapy uses drugs to kill melanoma advanced or unresectable melanoma cells.

Targeted therapy drugs for the treatment of melanoma include:

• Dabrafenib
• Encorafenib
• Vermurafenib
• Bininmetinib
• Cobimetinib
• Talimogene
• Trametinib

Palliative Care

In addition to standard treatments, patients with melanoma may also be treated with palliative care. Palliative care is used to relieve pain and other symptoms to make a patient more comfortable.

New, Experimental Treatments

A newer therapy that has been approved for the treatment of melanoma that has spread is aldesleukin, an interleukin-2 analog. The drug alpha interferon has also been approved for malignant melanoma that has been previously treated with surgery.

Long-Term Follow Up

Ongoing, long-term follow-up is an essential part of the treatment for patients with melanoma because the cancer can reoccur even after it has been treated.

Sources

This content was written by the MediFind Medical Team. Last updated: 6/9/2022