Can melanoma without metastasis avoid chemotherapy?

Written by Cui Fang Bo
Oncology
Updated on December 09, 2024
00:00
00:00

For patients with melanoma that has not metastasized, direct surgical removal can be performed, and chemotherapy is not necessary after surgery. Melanoma is a malignant tumor that originates from melanocytes and can occur in many parts of the body, with melanomas of the skin and mucous membranes being the most common, accounting for about 70% of all cases. Once melanoma is diagnosed, if there is no distant metastasis to other organs, curative surgical removal can be performed. Postoperative treatment mainly involves immunotherapy, not systemic chemotherapy. For patients who are diagnosed with distant organ metastasis, systemic chemotherapy and immunotherapy are required.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Cui Fang Bo
Oncology
46sec home-news-image

What should be done about melanoma brain metastasis?

After melanoma metastasizes to the brain, it requires early treatment, which mainly includes the following measures: First, general supportive care, such as using mannitol or glycerol fructose to reduce intracranial pressure and alleviate symptoms like headache, nausea, and vomiting if increased intracranial pressure occurs after brain metastasis; Second, local treatment, such as whole brain radiotherapy or precise Gamma Knife surgery, to control the intracranial lesion after brain metastasis; Third, systemic treatment, as melanoma with brain metastases indicates stage IV disease, requiring control of the condition through systemic treatments including chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy, and immunotherapy.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Sun Ming Yue
Medical Oncology
37sec home-news-image

Can melanoma be detected by ultrasound?

Melanoma is a very serious disease, and if detected in its early stages, treatment should be sought promptly. If treatment is delayed, the effects of treating the disease in its advanced stages are not very good or significant. Melanoma is a type of malignant tumor that is prone to occurrence and poses a significant risk, endangering life. Generally, if melanoma is being tested, the Vacca double PAP immunoenzymatic marking method is used for detection.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
45sec home-news-image

Melanoma CT manifestations

The CT manifestations of melanoma vary depending on the location of the tumor. Generally, melanomas that occur on the skin can appear on CT scans as mass-like lesions, and the scans can show whether there are any urgent conditions involving the surrounding nerves, blood vessels, and tissues. Some patients may only show CT imaging changes such as localized thickening of the skin. In melanomas that occur inside the skull or in the vulva, the CT mainly shows localized mass-like lesions. These lesions are typically low-density foci with poor blood supply around them, and they generally have an irregular shape.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Cui Fang Bo
Oncology
41sec home-news-image

Melanoma stage IV is the fourth stage.

Melanoma stage IV refers to the fourth stage of melanoma, where IV represents the Roman numeral for 4. Stage IV melanoma means that the melanoma is no longer confined to the local lesion but has metastasized to distant organs. The most common locations for melanoma include the skin and mucous membranes, with typical metastatic sites including the lungs, brain, liver, etc. Once diagnosed as stage IV, there are no indications for surgical treatment. Treatment primarily involves a comprehensive approach combining chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Sun Ming Yue
Medical Oncology
45sec home-news-image

Melanoma deterioration symptoms

Patients with early-stage melanoma generally experience symptoms such as moles rapidly growing larger, changing in shape and color. Slightly more severe cases may exhibit signs like itching and bleeding. If the melanoma progresses, it might lead to non-healing ulcerations, repeated occurrences of satellite lesions, regional lymph node metastasis, and migratory metastasis. In advanced stages, patients may experience bone metastasis pain. Lung cancer metastasis might manifest as coughing and coughing up blood, and symptoms can vary depending on the site of metastasis.