Sunday, July 24, 2011

Should a patient whom has had a melanoma skin cancer removed need any further treatment

Should a patient whom has had a melanoma skin cancer removed need any further treatment?
Dr. that performed the removal said he got all of the cancer and no further treatment was needed. Has anyone had this similar situation?
Cancer - 5 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Regular follow ups - just in case. Soulds like it was caught early - congratulations!
2 :
My mom did. :) She's not had to go back the last 2 years and has not had any recurrences.
3 :
The information that a doctor uses is in the pathology report. The size of the tumor, whether the margins of the sample were clear, or if it was ulcerated determine if it was stage I or II. For either of these stages the treatment is surgery alone to remove the tumor and surrounding tissue. No followup treatment is needed. If you are still concerned then get a copy of all the reports and have another doctor look at them. Preferably a melanoma specialist. Also check out website www.melanoma.org
4 :
Are you sure it was melanoma and not basal cell? Melanoma is bad and would normally require at least chemo because, even though the margins were clear, there's no certainty that there is no cancer cells left and it spreads and is deadly.
5 :
If it is stage 1 or 0, ussualy furthur treatment is not needed. If it has spread to lymph nodes or other areas, typically chemo and radiation are needed to wipe it out. My aunt had a stage 1 melonoma, and she had it removed with minor surgery. She had to have ct scans, and also has to get regular scans check ups, but no chemo or radiation was needed in her case.



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