Posted on February 25, 2010.
Adjuvant treatment of melanoma <! - @ Page (size: 21cm 29.7cm; margin: 2cm) P (margin-bottom: 0.21cm) ->
In medical terms, a mole is considered as a melanocytic nevus. Moles appear on the skin flat or raised dark spots, which vary considerably in size and shape, occurring anywhere on the body. A mole is formed when melanin, a brown pigment produced by cells of the skin, grows in high concentrations on the skin.
Consequently, most nevi are brown or black. They are so frequent that they have a wide range of classifications. Skin moles are so common that almost everyone will develop one or several in the course of his life. Despite this fact, the moles of the skin are among the most difficult conditions of the skin for modern medicine to treat properly.
Fortunately, the vast majority of moles are benign and present no health threat if they can be unsightly, causing many people to request removal. However, in some cases, a mole can turn into a melanoma cancer. If a mole is suspected to be a melanoma, it is important to take a test to confirm.
high-risk melanomas may require adjuvant therapy. In the U.S. most healthy patients also begin a year maximum dose interferon treatment in height, which has serious side effects, but may improve the prognosis of patients. This assertion is not supported by any research right now, and Europe interferon is usually not used outside the scope of clinical trials.
metastatic melanoma can be detected by X-rays, CT, MRI, PET and PET / CT, ultrasound, test and LDH photoacoustic detection. Several chemotherapeutic agents are used, including dacarbazine, immunotherapy, and local perfusion. They can occasionally show dramatic success, but the overall success in metastatic melanoma is very limited.
IL-2 is the first new treatment approved for the treatment of metastatic melanoma in 20 years. Studies have shown that IL-2 offers the possibility of a long-term and complete remission in this disease, but only a small percentage of patients. A number of new agents and new approaches are being evaluated and promising. participation in the clinical trial must be considered the standard of care for metastatic melanoma.
In 2005, a Phase III clinical vaccine against melanoma has been arrested after having shown little benefit compared to placebo. In 2008, Israeli scientists from the Institute of Oncology, Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem announced they have developed a vaccine that prevents recurrence of the disease in people with previous increases the chances of survival for the course.
As with other traditional treatments, laser treatment and electrocautery are not always effective because they reach the outer layers of the skin, while the moles penetrate deep into the dermal tissue, often beyond the scope of these treatments . The surgery involves cutting the mole. The resulting injury required points, which in turn leave a scar.