Melanoma and Its Treatment

QUESTION: We are facing the tragedy of a skin cancer called melanoma in our
family. We believe your column could help by telling your readers about this
condition and its treatment. Maybe then they can get the help they need,
before it's too late.
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ANSWER: I hate cancers as a group of diseases, and probably melanoma ranks
first on my list. It is a malignant skin cancer that develops from the
pigment cells in the skin, and although it may take many forms and shapes, can
spread through the body so rapidly that it is fatal in just a few short
months. It is becoming more and more common, particularly in some of the
"Sunbelt" states of the United States, and the number of cases is doubling
every 10-15 years. Any colored skin lesion which changes in nature, size or
color, must be seen by a physician as soon as possible, for all suspicious
lesions must be removed surgically and then analyzed microscopically. A
thorough examination of the skin should be performed in high risk individuals;
those who have had a melanoma previously, first degree blood relatives of
melanoma patients, and particularly individuals with light complexions.
Although investigations using medications are ongoing, it is still the wide
excision surgical technique, which removes the lesion and a band of
surrounding normal skin, that offers the greatest probability of control. The
sooner the operation can be performed, while the disease is in its early
stages, the better the chances of success.