Melanoma
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Methods of diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer in patients at different stages
Melanoma is an oncological disease that occurs in people of any age. It develops rapidly and requires prompt professional treatment. The Humanitas clinic offers a full range of diagnostic and treatment procedures that significantly increase the chances of recovery and return to normal life.
Melanoma is often found on exposed parts of the body that are regularly exposed to the sun. In women, this is often the legs. In men, it is the back, stomach, and chest. In rarer cases, melanoma forms in atypical places: the retina, mucous membranes, genitals, or anus. But often it is the surface of the skin.
The effectiveness of treatment largely depends on the stage of the disease. Most malignant neoplasms are degenerated moles. The causes of degeneration can be mechanical damage, sun exposure and other factors. Research in this area is currently ongoing. In rare cases, melanoma can even occur on a clean area of skin.
Since the neoplasm often appears on the skin, it can be diagnosed in a timely manner. The main thing is to undergo regular examinations by a specialist. Plus, it would not be superfluous to be able to independently identify “dangerous” moles and determine the signs of a malignant neoplasm on the skin.
Risk factors and symptoms of the disease
One of the first reasons to see a specialist is a birthmark injury. If you have damaged a birthmark, you should visit a doctor for an examination as soon as possible. An injury does not necessarily lead to malignant degeneration, but it is better to undergo an appropriate examination.
Other risk factors include:
The main preventive measures are to avoid strong ultraviolet radiation and damage to nevi. If you have moles that you often catch on clothing, while shaving, etc., it is better to contact a specialist and remove them using one of the safe methods. And under no circumstances remove them yourself.
The symptoms of the transformation of a benign tumor into a malignant one look like this:
Diagnosis and treatment of melanoma
Primary diagnostics are performed by an oncologist or dermatologist. Visually, the specialist can already give a conclusion about the malignant nature of the neoplasm. But for confirmation and more accurate examination, other diagnostic methods are used: dermatoscopy, tissue biopsy and histology. Ultrasound, computed tomography, scintigraphy and other examinations are also mandatory.
Once the disease has been accurately diagnosed and the stage determined, Humanitas specialists begin treatment. It directly depends on the stage of the disease. At the initial stage, when there is only a primary lesion without metastases, surgical excision is used. Sometimes - with subsequent skin transplantation to hide the resulting defects. If melanoma has already managed to metastasize to regional lymph nodes, they are also excised and immunotherapy is carried out.
In cases where surgery is impossible or as an auxiliary means, chemotherapy is used. Its scheme is always developed individually for each patient. The number of cycles and their structure are selected, the patient is constantly under the supervision of specialists who evaluate the effectiveness of the therapy and its individual tolerance.
Humanitas also uses radiation therapy – the effect of radiation on tumor tissue. During the procedure, the effect on healthy organs and tissues is minimized. This allows to significantly reduce the number of side effects and complications in the treatment of melanoma.
Melanoma is an oncological disease that occurs in people of any age. It develops rapidly and requires prompt professional treatment. The Humanitas clinic offers a full range of diagnostic and treatment procedures that significantly increase the chances of recovery and return to normal life.
Melanoma is often found on exposed parts of the body that are regularly exposed to the sun. In women, this is often the legs. In men, it is the back, stomach, and chest. In rarer cases, melanoma forms in atypical places: the retina, mucous membranes, genitals, or anus. But often it is the surface of the skin.
The effectiveness of treatment largely depends on the stage of the disease. Most malignant neoplasms are degenerated moles. The causes of degeneration can be mechanical damage, sun exposure and other factors. Research in this area is currently ongoing. In rare cases, melanoma can even occur on a clean area of skin.
Since the neoplasm often appears on the skin, it can be diagnosed in a timely manner. The main thing is to undergo regular examinations by a specialist. Plus, it would not be superfluous to be able to independently identify “dangerous” moles and determine the signs of a malignant neoplasm on the skin.
Risk factors and symptoms of the disease
One of the first reasons to see a specialist is a birthmark injury. If you have damaged a birthmark, you should visit a doctor for an examination as soon as possible. An injury does not necessarily lead to malignant degeneration, but it is better to undergo an appropriate examination.
Other risk factors include:
- Old age. Statistics confirm that the disease is much more common in older people.
- Having relatives with melanoma. If the disease has already been detected in one of your close relatives, this is a reason to undergo regular examinations.
The main preventive measures are to avoid strong ultraviolet radiation and damage to nevi. If you have moles that you often catch on clothing, while shaving, etc., it is better to contact a specialist and remove them using one of the safe methods. And under no circumstances remove them yourself.
The symptoms of the transformation of a benign tumor into a malignant one look like this:
- the spot increases in size and becomes harder;
- pigmentation changes: it becomes darker or, conversely, lighter;
- stagnation and redness form around the spot;
- radiant growths are formed, which diverge to the sides from the nevus.
Diagnosis and treatment of melanoma
Primary diagnostics are performed by an oncologist or dermatologist. Visually, the specialist can already give a conclusion about the malignant nature of the neoplasm. But for confirmation and more accurate examination, other diagnostic methods are used: dermatoscopy, tissue biopsy and histology. Ultrasound, computed tomography, scintigraphy and other examinations are also mandatory.
Once the disease has been accurately diagnosed and the stage determined, Humanitas specialists begin treatment. It directly depends on the stage of the disease. At the initial stage, when there is only a primary lesion without metastases, surgical excision is used. Sometimes - with subsequent skin transplantation to hide the resulting defects. If melanoma has already managed to metastasize to regional lymph nodes, they are also excised and immunotherapy is carried out.
In cases where surgery is impossible or as an auxiliary means, chemotherapy is used. Its scheme is always developed individually for each patient. The number of cycles and their structure are selected, the patient is constantly under the supervision of specialists who evaluate the effectiveness of the therapy and its individual tolerance.
Humanitas also uses radiation therapy – the effect of radiation on tumor tissue. During the procedure, the effect on healthy organs and tissues is minimized. This allows to significantly reduce the number of side effects and complications in the treatment of melanoma.