Malignant Melanoma: Understanding, Prevention and Treatment

Malignant melanoma, known as the “king of cancer”, is a malignant tumor originating from skin melanocytes. Its incidence is increasing rapidly, with an annual growth rate of 4% -6%, accounting for 3% of all tumors. This article will introduce the knowledge of malignant melanoma in detail, including its symptoms, preventive measure and treatment methods. 1. Symptoms of malignant melanoma symptoms of malignant melanoma can occur anywhere on the body, most often in areas that are often exposed to sunlight, such as the arms, back, face and legs. Early symptoms include nevus or pigmented spots with rapid enlargement, uplift, ulceration, irregular edges or notches and serrations, color changes, etc. The symptoms of progressive stage are that the tumor body continues to increase, the lesion protuberance is plaque or nodular, the surface is easy to ulcerate and bleed, and there may be irregular pigment halo or depigmentation halo around it. Late symptoms include continued enlargement of local tumors, obvious ulceration, repeated non-healing, regional or distant lymph node enlargement, and corresponding symptoms when distant metastasis occurs. 2. Prevention of Malignant Melanoma Because melanoma is associated with ultraviolet (UV) exposure, the following measures are recommended to limit exposure: Avoid light: Shade the sun, reduce outdoor activities between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (when the sun is strongest), avoid sunbathing and use tanning beds. Clothing protection: Wear long-sleeved shirts, pants, and wide-brimmed hats. Use sunscreen: Use a broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protective sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or more as directed. Repeat every two hours and reapply after swimming or sweating. Although these measures are recommended for the prevention of melanoma, there is not enough evidence to prove that they can reduce the incidence or mortality rate of melanoma. 3. Treatment of malignant melanoma treatment of malignant melanoma depends on the stage of the tumor and the overall health of the patient. For early resectable tumors, wide resection is the standard protocol. For metastatic cases, systematic treatment is needed, but it is difficult to cure. Immunotherapy: The use of new immunotherapies (such as Paborizumab and Navuliumab) to help the body’s immune system destroy cancer. These drugs are called PD-1 inhibitors because they block the action of programmed cell death protein 1 on the surface of cancer cells, thus enhancing the ability of the immune system to attack cancer cells. Targeted therapies: include drugs that attack the natural biological mechanisms of cancer cells. In targeted therapy, the drug attacks a specific subset of cells that are present only in cancer cells that have a specific genetic mutation. The use of these drugs may improve cancer survival in some patients. Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy drugs (such as dacarbazine and temozolomide) have not been proven to prolong survival, but these drugs are sometimes used to treat melanoma patients whose cancer has spread and who have no other treatment options. Radiotherapy: It may be used in cases where a positive resection margin cannot be made due to location, desmoplastic melanoma, locally recurrent melanoma after reexcision, and palliative brain metastases. 4. Prognosis of Malignant Melanoma Malignant melanoma can spread rapidly and lead to death several months after diagnosis. The less invasive the melanoma, the greater the chance of a cure. For most early, superficial melanomas, the survival rates is 100%. However, melanomas that penetrate about 1/32 inch (about 1 millimeter) into the skin have a higher risk of metastasizing to lymph nodes and blood vessels. Once melanoma has metastasized to distant parts of the body, the 5-year survival rate is about 35%. Conclusion Malignant melanoma is a serious skin cancer, and early detection and treatment are essential. By understanding the symptoms, taking preventive measure and receiving treatment in time, the survival rate and life quality of patients can be significantly improved. It is hoped that this article will improve public awareness of malignant melanoma and promote early diagnosis and treatment.