The incidence of cutaneous melanoma has increased dramatically over the last few years. Prognosis of the disease depends on how fast you noticed the symptoms of melanoma skin cancer.According to several sources like the National Cancer Institute, deaths from cutaneous melanoma have ranged in the highs with a 20.5% increase of more than 6.4-14.0 cases per 100,000 white individuals in the United States from 1973-1994. The exact reason for the sudden spurt in cases is not really known but most doctors are attributing it to better awareness about the signs and symptoms of cutaneous melanoma and then opting for faster treatment.
What are the risk factors for melanoma?
• Increased exposure to sunlight especially to sunlight, radiation, and tanning beds is said to cause cutaneous melanoma but like any other cancer the exact cause of cancer is very difficult to determine.
• People with fair and light colored eyes are more likely to develop cutaneous melanomas rather than darker skinned individuals.
• Pigmented nevi which have appeared suddenly or changed color and increased in size are to be considered suspicious.
symptoms of melanoma skin cancer are:
• Cutaneous lesions which have suddenly changed shape.
• The colored patch is frayed, serrated, distorted, or crooked in outline.
• The pigment on the lesion appears unevenly colored, or even a mixture of colors.
• The lesion may slowly increase in size and then give rise to babies
• The colored lesion may also spread above the surface giving a slightly swollen look.
If you experience any of these symptoms, then it’s the time to consult with a doctor as soon as possible.
Diagnosis of a possible cutaneous melanoma is possible only through a biopsy of the affected lesion and then staging and grading of the lesion is done to determine the extent of spread of the cancer. Treatment planning depends on how far the cancer has spread and where.
The main options for treatment for cutaneous melanomas are:
- Surgery is the most common mode of treatment for any cancer and if the lesion is small then the doctor can remove it along with a surrounding margin during the biopsy process itself. For bigger lesions additional surgery may be necessary after the diagnosis is confirmed.
- Chemotherapy drugs are also given to kill the cancer cells as well as any cells which might have migrated to different locations in the body.
- Biological therapy also called as immune therapy is one of the newer forms of treatment. In this method of treatment the body’s immune system is utilized to manufacture poisons to kill the cancer cells inside the body. Biological therapy utilizes a form of cancer poisons called cytokines which are made by the body themselves and used against cancer cells. Scientists manufacture these cytokines in large amounts in the lab using Recombinant DNA technology and the use these chemicals as poisons to kill the cancer cells
- Radiation therapy is also used to transmit high-energy beams through the body to kill the cancer cells.