Contents
  • Understanding Melanoma
  • The Role of Surgery
  • Surgical Margins: How Much is Enough?

What You Need to Know About Melanoma Surgery

What You Need to Know About Melanoma Surgery

Why It Matters

Melanoma, a serious skin cancer, can appear almost anywhere on your body. Understanding the surgical options is crucial for effective treatment.
Contents
  • Understanding Melanoma
  • The Role of Surgery
  • Surgical Margins: How Much is Enough?

Understanding Melanoma

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that commonly appears in areas exposed to the sun, like the trunk and extremities. However, it can also develop in less common places such as the eyes or mucous membranes. Early diagnosis and treatment are vital as melanoma can spread to other parts of the body.

The Role of Surgery

Surgery is a key component in managing melanoma, primarily involving the removal of the tumor. The goals include confirming the diagnosis, staging the cancer, and removing it with a margin of healthy tissue to prevent recurrence. Accurate staging guides further treatment and surgical decisions.
Melanoma surgery involves the surgical removal of melanoma tumors, crucial for diagnosis, staging, and treatment, often including the excision of surrounding healthy tissue to prevent recurrence.

Surgical Margins: How Much is Enough?

The width of the surgical margin depends on the thickness of the melanoma. For instance, a 1 cm margin is recommended for melanomas up to 1 mm thick, while thicker melanomas may require a 2 cm margin. These guidelines help ensure the entire tumor is removed and reduce the risk of cancer returning.

FAQs

What is melanoma?

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can appear anywhere on the body.

Why is surgery important?

Surgery helps confirm diagnosis, stage the melanoma, and remove it to prevent spread.

What are surgical margins?

Surgical margins are the normal tissue around the tumor removed during surgery.

How do margins vary by melanoma thickness?

Thicker melanomas often require wider margins to ensure complete removal.

Key Takeaways

Melanoma surgery involves careful planning to ensure all cancerous cells are removed.
Talk with Doctronic to learn more about melanoma treatments and your options.
Additional References
  1. Swetter SM, Tsao H, Bichakjian CK, et al. Guidelines of care for the management of primary cutaneous melanoma. J Am Acad Dermatol 2019; 80:208.
  2. Wheatley K, Wilson JS, Gaunt P, Marsden JR. Surgical excision margins in primary cutaneous melanoma: A meta-analysis and Bayesian probability evaluation. Cancer Treat Rev 2016; 42:73.
This article has been reviewed for accuracy by one of the licensed medical doctors working for Doctronic.