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The treatment of melanoma varies according to the stage and other characteristics of the disease for each patient.
Stage I
(thin melanoma of the skin)
Surgery to remove the lesion has proven to be the most effective procedure. This is followed by careful monitoring for 5 years or more. There are few clinical trials available for this stage. Cure rate is 90% overall.
Stage II
(medium or thick melanoma of the skin)
Surgery involving a wide local excision and lymph node sampling is performed on the majority of Stage II melanoma. Radiation is rarely performed, and there is usually no systemic treatment after surgical treatment unless lymph nodes come back involved with melanoma (stage III). There are some clinical trials of systemic treatment after surgery currently available. The cure rate is 75% overall.
Stage III
(lumps of melanoma close to or in that region but a ways from the primary skin lesion, lymph node involvement, or both)
Again, surgery involving wide local excision of the melanoma, complete lymph node removal in that region (armpit, groin, or neck). Radiation is sometimes recommended to the region of primary lesion, lymph node area or both. High-dose interferon-alpha for a year is the standard treatment. There are many clinical trials available for Stage III, although bservation alone is still the best option for some. The cure rate is 30-60% depending on extent of disease
Stage IV
(spread to distant sites in the body or lymph nodes several levels beyond the skin area of the primary lesion)
Surgery is performed for very limited disease and radiation only for bothersome tumors. The main treatment is systemic, that is, oral or IV drugs that go throughout the body. Since there is no established treatments for Stage IV melanoma, most systemic treatments are performed by clinical trials. These include protocols such as: interleukin-2, temozolomide, thalidomide, cisplatin-based chemotherapy, biochemotherapy (cisplatin with or without other chemotherapy drugs, combined with interleukin-2 and interferon-alpha). Experimental treatments include vaccines, new immunotherapy drugs, anti-angiogenic drugs, molecularly targeted small molecule drugs administered orally or intravenously, bone marrow transplant from relatives, etc. The cure rate is less than 10%, but more than 10% survive 5 years.
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 This tool will search the database of clinical trials for treatments of melanoma.
The Melanoma Hope Network (MHN) clinical "Trial Finder" is now available. Please use the trial finder with the understanding that it is not a complete listing of all trials/treatments available to you and is not a guarantee that you qualify for any particular trial. You should use this only as one resource in your search for treatment options. You should seek professional advice from your physician or oncologist as to the most appropriate treatment for your specific condition!!!!
Choose the link below for the type of Search you wish to perform:
GENERAL SEARCH PROFILE SEARCH
*view all trials in database *view trials based on personal profile
No registration needed Fill out personal health history questionaire
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