|
Metastatic melanoma is melanoma that has spread to a distant organ from the primary site which is usually skin.
Melanoma is a cancer that arises from the skin. Melanoma usually presents as a brown skin growth that either grows, changes color, or bleeds.
The standard treatment for localized melanoma is agressive surgery with sentinal node biopsy. Interferon therapy after surgery has been shown to improve
cure rates and survival statistics for individuals at high risk of developing metastatic melanoma. Unfortunately, higher risk melanoma has a chance of
coming back both at the initial site and in distant organs such as the liver and lung. When in comes back in the distant organs
it is termed metastatic melanoma. There is not a very effective treatment for metastatic melanoma. Chemotherapy has not provent to be
very effective for metastatic melanoma. Various immunotherapies are being investigated for metastatic melanoma with minimal success.
Sometimes surgery is used to remove metastatic deposits but this can be debilitating. Stereotactic body radiosurgery is a novel
treatment that can be effective in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. The following section describes the role of stereotactic body radiosurgery in the treatment of
metastatic melanoma |
|
Stereotactic body radiosurgery(SBR) is a novel
treatment that can be employed in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. Stereotactic body radiosurgery is a treatment
that uses multiple high powered beams aimed very precisely at tumors in the body. The Elekta frame immobilizes the
patient and decreases the movement of the liver and lung tumors due to
breathing. The treatment spares normal tissue because of its extreme precision.
The treatment is completely non invasive and is given in 1-3 outpatient treatments. Patients can continue there normal daily activites as there are often minimal side effects. Metastic melanoma, melanoma that has spread to other organs,
is a difficult situation because there is not effective drug therapy. Occasionally, if possible, the tumors can be surgically removed. However, surgery is usually not possible and can be quite morbid with extensive recovery times.
Much as surgery, Stereotactic body radiosurgery can eradicate treated tumors in the lung and liver 90 percent of the time. Unlike surgery, there is very little risk and minimal side effects. Patients are able to continue their daily activities without difficulty. The high tumor eradication rate is
a result of its high dose per treatment. In fact, in brain radiosurgery literature, melanoma is one of the more sensitive cancers to radiosurgery. Streotactic body radiosurgery is most effective in metastatic melanoma when there are under five tumors in the
liver and/or lung. To
speak with a Dr. Woodburn about SBR lung cancer treatment or
request more information call 219-945-1050 or email rwctg@comcast.net. |