Melanoma removal is a surgery to remove skin tissue that has cancerous cells. The cancer is called melanoma .
Complications are rare, but no procedure is completely free of risk. If you are planning to have melanoma removal, your doctor will review a list of possible complications, which may include:
Depending on the stage of the disease, your doctor will likely do the following:
Local anesthesia is often used to numb the area where the cancer is removed. General anesthesia may need to be used if the area is large. In this case, you will be asleep.
Surgical removal of the cancerous cells is the primary treatment for melanoma. Types of surgery include:
The removed tissue will be examined by a laboratory.
In more advanced cases of melanoma, other treatments may be necessary. These include:
This depends on the extent of the melanoma and the type of surgery. Simple excision can take less than one hour.
Anesthesia prevents pain during the procedure. You may have some pain around the wound during recovery. You will be given medicine to help manage pain.
Talk to your doctor about appropriate ways to protect your skin against sun damage. These may include using sun block and wearing protective clothing. You will also need to have regular skin exams to look for the return of cancer cells.
After arriving home, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:
RESOURCES:
American Academy of Dermatology
http://www.aad.org/default.htm/
American Cancer Society
http://www.cancer.org/
CANADIAN RESOURCES:
Canadian Cancer Society
http://www.cancer.ca/
Canadian Society of Plastic Surgery
http://www.plasticsurgery.ca/
References:
American Cancer Society website. Available at: http://www.cancer.org.
American Society for Dermatologic Surgery website. Available at: http://www.asds-net.org.
Balch CM, Buzaid AC, Soong SJ, et al. Final version of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system for cutaneous melanoma. Guidelines from the American Joint Committee on Cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2001;19:3635-48.
Lens MB, Dawes M, Goodacre T, Bishop JA. Excision margins in the treatment of primary cutaneous melanoma: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials comparing narrow vs wide excision. Arch Surg. 2002;137:1101-5.
National Cancer Institute website. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov.
Last reviewed October 2009 by Igor Puzanov, MD
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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