This section is a guide to the many treatment options available to those newly diagnosed with skin cancer or those whose disease has recurred. Included are introductions to surgical techniques, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted/biologic therapy, as well as their respective side effects.
After successful surgery for melanoma, the key goal of so-called "adjuvant" therapies is to prevent the cancer from coming back.
If a sentinel node biopsy shows that your melanoma has spread, should you remove the remaining lymph nodes? It's not an easy decision, and these pros and cons may help.
Ipilimumab has been tested in multiple clinical trials for many years and appears to finally be on the verge of FDA approval, perhaps as early as 2010. That's certainly good news for patients with melanoma, who have few options once the disease spreads to other areas of the body.
A new technique called adoptive cell transfer may revolutionize melanoma treatment in the future.
Is interferon-alpha2b for treating melanoma after surgery right for you? Here are some of the pros and cons of interferon treatment to discuss with your doctor:
An overview of the available treatments for skin cancer.
An easy-to-understand introduction to the most common treatment options for non-melanoma skin cancers such as basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma.
Learn about less commonly used treatments for basal and squamous cell skin cancers such as radiation, photodynamic therapy, cryosurgery, and laser ablation therapy.
Learn more about common treatment options for stage 0, I or II melanomas localized to the skin or to local lymph nodes.
Learn more about the various treatment options for patients with advanced stage III or IV melanoma.
A patient's guide to the various chemotherapy drugs used to treat metastatic melanoma skin cancer.
If your doctor has prescribed imiquimod for basal cell carcinoma or actinic keratosis, this introduction will arm you with all the information you need to effectively treat your cancer.
If your doctor has prescribed fluorouracil for your basal cell carcinoma or actinic keratosis, this introduction will arm you with all the information you need to use it effectively and safely.
If your doctor has prescribed diclofenac for your actinic (solar) keratosis, this introduction will arm you with all the information you need to use it effectively and safely.
Chemotherapy with dacarbazine is currently the only FDA-approved chemotherapy drug for metastatic melanoma. Learn more about its use and side effects in this overview.
Temozolomide is used in patients with melanoma that has metastasized (spread) to the brain or nervous system. Learn more about its use, efficacy, and side effects in this overview.
If your oncologist has recommended interleukin-2 for your metastatic (stage IV) melanoma, this overview will arm you with the critical information you need to understand how it works, its effectiveness and its side effects.
Learn more about interferon-alfa2b, the only approved medication for the adjuvant (post-surgery) treatment of patients with high-risk melanoma.
Learn more about the five most promising new drugs in phase III clinical trials for the treatment of advanced and metastatic (stage III and IV) melanoma.
Chemotherapy is a treatment that attempts to stop the growth of cancerous cells. It can be an effective way to combat cancer, but it also has severe side effects. Lean more about how chemotherapy works in this short video.
