What is melanoma, what is it dangerous and how to treat it?

Melanoma is a malignant skin lesion that arises from the cells of the epithelium( melanocytes) and is characterized by an aggressive, often unpredictable nature of the course. If the disease is detected at the initial stage - there is a huge likelihood that his treatment will be successful, so it is important to know the signs of the disease and promptly consult a doctor.

• reasons
• Symptoms
• Classification
• Stage
• The dangerous
• Diagnostics
• Treatment
• surgical method
• Conservative therapy
• Power
• have
• children during pregnancy
• Treatment folk remedies
• Prevention
• forecast life

reasons

long and intensive exposure to UV raysis the main cause of melanoma.

Other causes of the development of the disease include:

• Genetic predisposition.
• Skin diseases, for example, hyperpigmentation, psoriasis, basal carcinoma, senile keratosis, etc.
• Human papillomavirus.
• Weakened immunity.
• Exposure to chemicals such as arsenic, bitumen, oil shale, soot, etc.
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• Smoking.
• Parkinson's disease in men.
  

  
  

• Age - the older the person, the higher the risk of developing skin cancer. Melanomas in the anamnesis.
• Traumatic damage of pigmented spots, moles.
• The sex accessory. Male sex hormones( androgens) stimulate tumor growth, so men are heavier and more likely to get sick than women.
• Benign skin neoplasms( birthmark, atypical nevus or simple mole).
• Features of power supply. Melanoma can occur in people eating a large number of animal proteins and fats, as well as in the absence of fresh fruit and vegetables in the diet.

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Symptoms of

Unlike normal healthy birthmarks, melanoma is actively expanding, and quite rapidly. It can grow, expanding, as if "blurring" on the surface of the skin, and can protrude above it, representing a "nodular" growth. At the same time, the sign of melanoma is that the mole changes its color: it can turn black, but sometimes have light areas, sometimes a pinkish or reddish hue. With such changes literally in one pigment speck, you can see several different colors at once.

In addition to the increase in size and discoloration, the following symptoms of the disease are distinguished:

• Burning, itching and tingling in the place of pigmentation.
• Hair loss from the surface of the nevus.
• The emergence of child moles around the main formation( a sign of local metastasis of melanoma).
• Cracks or ulcers, moisture or bleeding. Seal of birthmark and uneven edges.
• Appearance of redness around pigmented formation.
• Disappearance of uniform coloring of the skin pattern.

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Classification of

By degree, depth and area of ​​distribution on the body, skin melanoma is divided into 5 types:

• Surface-spreading( super-formal) - occurs on the surface of the skin, without penetrating into its internal layers. On the skin appears a slightly elevated formation, which has an anomalous shape and vague edges. Depending on the skin layer in which the pigment is located, the color of the tumor can be black, brown or blue. As the melanoma increases, it becomes denser and turns into a black patch with a shiny surface, and in the middle, the area of ​​enlightenment is visible. This type is found in most cases( 70%), and successfully eliminated without causing serious consequences for human health.
• Nodular( nodular) is a dangerous form of melanoma with a rapid current( an average of 6 to 18 months) and an unfavorable prognosis( 50% of patients die in a short time).In the phase of vertical growth( the germination of melanoma deep into the skin) the knot quickly becomes thinner, so even a slight injury can provoke bleeding. Further on the node there are ulcers, from which a liquid of yellow color with a sap is allocated.
• Acicular lentiginous( subungual) - occurs on the palms, fingertips, affects the space under the nails, and can also appear on the skin of the soles and genitals. Cancer formation is a small spot on the skin of a brownish-black or rusty-brown color, under the nail - a crimson or blue-black color. In many cases ulcers appear on the surface of the melanoma, and the formation takes the form of mushroom-like growths. This kind of tumor is diagnosed in 10% of cases.
• Lentiginous - appears on the background of the nevus( birthmark, birthmark) or senile dark brown pigmentation. Melanoma occurs in open areas of the skin( face, ear sockets, neck, hands).Its development is long( from 2 to 25 years), and the prognosis with it is most favorable from all other species.
• Non-pigment( achromatic) - is rare and represents the formation of pink or flesh colored. It can be the result of a metastasis of any form of melanoma.
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Stage

• Stage 1 - tumor up to 1 mm thick with a damaged surface.
• 2 stage - thickness from 1 to 4 millimeters with the presence of a damaged surface.
• Stage 3 of the disease is characterized by the spread of tumor cells in a number of located tissues and lymph nodes.
• Stage 4 of melanoma means that the affected cells metastasize to distant organs - the liver, lungs, bones, brain, gastrointestinal tract.
• In stages 1 and 2, the disease is characterized by limited spread. This means that cancer cells do not metastasize into other organs and lymph nodes. At this stage, the risk of further spread of education or the re-development of melanoma is low enough. In stages 3 and 4, the thickness of the melanoma does not matter anymore, the definition of the expression is indicative.
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Than

is dangerous. Melanoma is one of the aggressive malignant tumors and it is associated with rapid metastasis. Frequent cases when at small sizes of formation are found out a lot of metastases in the remote tissues and organs. Metastases for a short time are able to destroy surrounding tissues and dramatically worsen the prognosis regarding life expectancy and recovery of the patient.

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Diagnosis

After visual inspection, the doctor prescribes laboratory tests( general blood test, urine, etc.) and the following instrumental studies:

• Hardware dermatoscopy. With the help of a dermatoscope, the inhomogeneity and symmetry of the border of pigmented formation is studied.
• Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy( KLM) - obtaining images of skin layers to assess their condition.
• Cytological examination of the smear( if there is a manifestation) and the material from the lymph node allows to diagnose the presence of the disease in the absence of signs of primary melanoma.
• Biopsy - tissue removal from the pigmented area, is necessary in case other diagnostic methods have been performed, and the diagnosis remains unclear.
• Ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity organs, CT of the brain and spinal cord, chest X-ray - all research methods are needed to determine the spread and presence of metastases in other organs.

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Treatment of

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Surgical method

Melanoma is removed to capture healthy tissue to prevent the spread of metastases. At 1 and 2 stages of the disease, operative removal is often the only method. The operation is performed under general anesthesia using an electroknife, a laser or a traditional scalpel.

To speed up the healing process, after removing melanoma, it is necessary to follow all the recommendations prescribed by your doctor: always keep the place of operation dry and avoid intense exercises, sudden movements.

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Conservative therapy

Applicable in the presence of metastases or suspected of them. The following treatment methods are used:

• Immunotherapy with drugs that improve the functioning of the immune system, for example, Interferon-alpha, Reaferon, Interleukin, Cycloferon, Ipilimumab, Leifferon, Trecresan.
• Chemotherapy with drugs that stop the growth and division of tumor cells. Alkylating drugs( Dakarbazine, Cisplatin, Cyclophosphane), vinca alkaloids( Vinorelbine, Vincristine, Methotrexate), nitrosourea derivatives( Lomustine, Fotemustine and Carmustine) are mainly used.
• Hormonal therapy is used to suppress the reproduction of cancer cells. Tamoxifen is considered effective.
• Radiation therapy - used as a palliative or symptomatic effect, as well as when the patient refuses surgery.

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Nutrition

For melanoma of the skin, it is necessary to follow a diet that includes the following set of products:

• Raw or boiled vegetables.
• Fruit and freshly squeezed juices( from cherries, apples, blueberries).
• Spices( cumin, kamun, saffron, rosemary, turmeric).
• Green tea.
• Fish( salmon, mackerel, trout).
• Natural dairy and sour-milk products with low fat content( kefir, milk, yogurt).Low-fat homemade cheese, cheddar.
• Complex carbohydrates( macaroni from hard varieties, bread with bran, porridge, brown rice).
• Seafood( squid, oysters, mussels, shrimps, lobsters).
• Low-fat meat( turkey, chicken).
• Sea kale.
• Greens( dill, parsley, green onions, celery, sorrel, rhubarb).
• Dietary fiber( fiber).

All the products must be cooked in pairs or baked in the oven. A day should drink at least 2 liters of pure still water.

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Children

Melanoma in childhood is a rare oncological disease. It can affect children of different ages, even the smallest. There are 3 forms of pediatric melanoma:

• Juvenile - a benign formation, one of variants of a difficult nevus.
• Juvenile - most often appears on the skin of the face and has the appearance of a round or flat solitary formation with clear boundaries and a smooth surface. The color of such a melanoma can be different: brown, yellow-gray, black, pink. From simple moles, juvenile melanoma is distinguished by the lack of hair on the surface, large size and slight elevation above the surface of the skin.
• Amelanotic - a malignant disease that appears on the fingers, skin of the back, soles. At treatment at the initial stages can be completely cured, but at occurrence of metastasises forecasts disappointing.

In general, melanoma in children occurs on the site of congenital or post-birth formations. Symptoms of the disease in children are similar to those in adults.

If the above symptoms occur, the child should be urgently examined and treated accordingly, which in most cases is a surgical procedure. After the operation, depending on the stage of melanoma, further treatment is prescribed - chemotherapy, immunotherapy, cryosurgery, radiotherapy.

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When pregnant

In the first trimester in patients with stage 1 disease, with a favorable individual prognosis, pregnancy can not be interrupted. Under general anesthesia, excision of melanoma is carried out with the capture of a small area of ​​healthy skin. The obtained morphological studies will give a more reasonable answer about the prognosis of the disease. With an unfavorable prognosis of life, the decision to maintain pregnancy should be taken personally by the woman.

In the first and second stages of the disease, in the first half of pregnancy, abortion is first performed, and then the appropriate treatment. In the second half of pregnancy at any stage of the disease, based on the interests of the baby, measures are taken to carry the fetus.

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Treatment with folk remedies

• Pollen of the placenta( lycopodium) is used to pour the affected area of ​​the skin.
• Stone oil is used as a lotion. It has wound healing, antitumor, antimetastatic and antibacterial action. Before use, the oil should be diluted with water and insist for 3 days. Then moisten the cut of cotton cloth in the infusion and apply to the affected area of ​​the skin at least 5-6 times a day.
• To cope with metastases and melanoma will help tincture aconite Jungar, which is prepared from 15 grams of powdered ground root, infused into 1 liter of alcohol for 3 weeks. Take the tincture should be strictly according to the scheme: 1 day - 1 drop, 2 days - 2 drops and so on up to 10 days, then on the contrary reduce: 11 days - 9 drops, 12 days - 8 drops, etc. Tincture should be diluted in 1 /3 cups of whey.
• Aloe juice enhances the effect of aconite tincture. The medicine can be purchased at the pharmacy and take 1 teaspoonful 3 times a day.
• Propolis tincture is used to treat melanoma with metastases as an immunomodulating and antibacterial agent. Crushed propolis must be filled in a container of dark glass, pour alcohol( in the ratio 1:10) and leave in a dark place for 10 days, shaking every 3 days. After this, keep the tincture in the refrigerator for at least 11 hours and drain. Take diluted in milk tincture of 35-40 drops 3 times a day.
• Turmeric root powder is an anti-cancer agent that alleviates the condition of patients. The recipe: in 100 milliliters of warm milk whey dissolve 1 teaspoon of powder and take 3 times a day.

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Prevention

• Try to avoid ultraviolet radiation.
• Wear hats and clothing that covers large areas of the skin.
• Use protective cosmetics.
• It's more to be in the shade, especially in the peak of the highest solar activity.
• Do not visit the solarium.
• Remove birthmarks and watch for nevi.
• Undergo genetic testing.

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Life expectancy

The degree of survival in the disease depends on the stage of melanoma and the treatment performed. At 1 stage the prognosis is the most favorable - with timely therapy, a complete cure is possible. Also, you can get rid of cancer education in almost all cases of stage 2 melanoma. In stages 3 and 4, cancer spreads to other organs, which leads to a decrease in life expectancy. In 3 stages - survival to 5 years is between 30% and 70% and up to 10 years only 15% of patients. The chance to live 5 years in patients at 4 stages of cancer is very small.