The most serious type of skin cancer is malignant melanoma. While early detection and prompt treatment often results in a complete cure, metastatic malignant melanoma has a poorer prognosis. While end-stage, or Stage IV, melanoma often carries an unfavorable prognosis, there are a number of effective treatment options that may result in long periods of remission. Here are some melanoma cancer treatment options for Stage IV disease.
Immunotherapy Medications
Immunotherapeutic medications help decrease tumor size, and in some cases, increase survival time while enhancing the quality of life. Although immunotherapy medications such as pembrolizumab and nivolumab help shrink melanoma tumors, they can lead to serious side effects. They include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, diarrhea, cough, muscle and joint pain, diminished appetite, and rashes.
Immunotherapy medications are administered every few weeks and are given intravenously. They can be prescribed after surgical excision of the melanoma tumor has been performed or as a standalone treatment. If you experience any side effects from your immunotherapy medications, report them to your physician as soon as possible. If your side effects are serious, your doctor may need to discontinue your treatment.
The most common types of immunotherapy medications are known as checkpoint inhibitors, and while they are typically well-tolerated by many people, they may not be recommended for everyone who has Stage IV malignant melanoma.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is another Stage IV melanoma cancer treatment option. It may be effective in shrinking melanoma tumors in some people; however, your doctor may recommend that you try other therapies before starting chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy drugs are used either in conjunction with other drugs, or alone. Although chemotherapy can help decrease the size of melanoma tumors, the cancer often recurs in a few months. Chemotherapy can cause serious side effects, and because of this, many patients are unable to continue with treatment. These side effects include intractable nausea and vomiting, dizziness, shortness of breath, profound fatigue, and loss of appetite.
Your doctor can prescribe appetite enhancers while you are receiving chemotherapy to help boost your appetite. Nutritional shakes are also recommended because they help correct nutritional deficiencies caused by a poor appetite and enhance strength because of their high protein content.
If you have Stage IV malignant melanoma, work with both your primary care physician and your oncologist. These healthcare professionals will monitor you closely and recommend effective treatment options that will help keep you comfortable, decrease tumor size, and improve your quality of life.
Share17 March 2020
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