Neoadjuvant treatment often includes:
Immunotherapy A type of systemic treatment (travels through your bloodstream to your whole body) that tries to reactivate your immune system so that it will destroy melanoma cells. These treatments can sometimes cause serious side effects from too much immune system response. There are a few FDA-approved immunotherapies for high-risk Stage 3 melanoma (which are tumors thicker than 4 mm (millimeters) or that have spread to nearby lymph nodes ).
Targeted therapy A treatment meant to block specific proteins, such as BRAF (the most common mutation in melanoma), that are driving the growth and spread of a tumor. Targeted therapy is somewhat personalized, because the drugs are “targeted” to a person’s unique tumor type. They may work well and have fewer side effects than older chemotherapy. However, targeted neoadjuvant therapy is not typically preferred and would only be recommended in certain situations.
Adjuvant treatment Adjuvant treatment is treatment after surgery to lower the chance of cancer coming back ( recurrence ). The reason for adjuvant treatment is to eliminate small numbers of cancer cells that were not removed by surgery because they couldn’t be found. Adjuvant treatment may include newer, effective systemic treatments such as immunotherapies and targeted therapies that can target cells or enhance the immune system anywhere in the body. Radiation was sometimes recommended as an adjuvant treatment, but it is not common now due to long-term side effects. The type of adjuvant therapy depends on a person’s stage of melanoma.
To learn more about these additional treatment options, visit: https://melanoma.org/cutaneous-melanoma/cutaneous-treatment/
MRF
You can always ask for a second opinion about your treatment options.
14 Melanoma Patient and Caregiver Guide | Stages 2–3
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