Katarzyna Wolanin MD, CLP ACoS Cancer Liaison Physician General Surgery
EARLY DETECTION IS CRUCIAL
patient outcomes and save lives. Once a diagnosis is obtained and thickness established, the management is a wide local excision. For tumors less than 1 mm in thickness, it is important to obtain a 1cm margin of healthy tissue all around. If the thickness is greater than 1 mm, a 2 cm margin is recommended. Clinical trials have not demonstrated a benefit of a wider margin than 2 cm. Lymph node examination is important in patients who have an intermediate or high risk. Lymphatic mapping with sentinel lymph node biopsy is recommended. This can be done with either blue dye, a radioactive tracer or both. These are injected prior to surgery to help the surgeon determine the affected lymph nodes. If a patient has a large node that can be palpated, it should be biopsied as well. Evidence of tumor spread to lymph nodes is a poor prognostic sign and associated with decreased survival. Additional treatment for melanoma, especially in advanced stages, can include immunotherapy and chemotherapy. There are also numerous clinical trials with new evolving treatment regiments. As with any cancer treatment, melanoma is treated with a multidisciplinary care team approach. The team includes physicians, nurses and a wide array of support staff to treat all aspects of the disease. The great staff at the Callahan Cancer Center work for every patient and family to coordinate and personalize treatment beyond just referrals and treatments. We are able to offer all of the treatment modalities for melanoma, including, but not limited to, surgery and chemotherapy.
According to the CDC, skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer and represents a portion of these cases. Melanoma is a cancer that develops from the pigment- containing cells known as melanocytes. These cells are mostly found in the skin, but melanomas can rarely occur in the mouth, intestines or eye. There are four major subtypes of melanoma; superficial spreading, nodular, lentigo maligna and acral lentiginous. Superficial spreading is the most common subtype, accounting for about 70 percent of cases, and is highly curable. There are five stages of melanomas, ranging from stage 0 to stage IV. The five-year survival rates for people with melanoma depend on the stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. or primary care physician. Moles and skin lesions are examined for asymmetry, border irregularities, color variation, large diameter and evolution over time. If any suspicious areas are found, the most important step is to obtain a biopsy. A complete full-thickness excisional biopsy of suspicious lesions with a 1 to 3 mm margin of normal skin and part of the subcutaneous fat should be performed whenever possible. Tumor thickness is the most important determinant of prognosis, as survival rates decrease with increasing tumor thickness. This is why early detection is crucial to improve Diagnosis of skin cancers begins with a thorough history and physical. A skin check will be performed by a dermatologist
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