In medical terms, a mole is referred to as a melanocytic nevus. Moles appear on the skin as flat or raised dark spots, which can vary dramatically in size and shape, occurring virtually anywhere on the body. A mole is formed when melanin, which is a brown pigment produced by skin cells, develops in high concentrations on the skin.
As a result, most nevi are brown or black in color. They are so common that they have a wide range of classifications. Skin moles are so common that just about every person will develop one or more sometime in his/her life. Despite this fact, skin moles are among the most difficult skin conditions for modern medicine to properly treat.
Fortunately, the vast majority of moles are benign and pose no health threat, though they can be unsightly, which causes many people to seek their removal. However, in some instances, a mole can develop into a cancerous melanoma. If a mole is suspected to be a melanoma, it is important to have a test done to confirm this.
High risk melanomas may require adjuvant treatment. In the United States most patients in otherwise good health will begin up to a year of high-dose interferon treatment, which has severe side effects but may improve the patient's prognosis. This claim is not supported by all research at this time, and in Europe interferon is usually not used outside the scope of clinical trials.
Metastatic melanomas can be detected by X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, PET and PET/CTs, ultrasound, LDH testing and photoacoustic detection. Various chemotherapy agents are used, including dacarbazine, immunotherapy, and local perfusion. They can occasionally show dramatic success, but the overall success in metastatic melanoma is quite limited.
IL-2 is the first new therapy approved for the treatment of metastatic melanoma in 20 years. Studies have demonstrated that IL-2 offers the possibility of a complete and long-lasting remission in this disease, although only in a small percentage of patients. A number of new agents and novel approaches are under evaluation and show promise. Clinical trial participation should be considered the standard of care for metastatic melanoma.
In 2005, a phase III clinical trial for a melanoma vaccine was halted after showing little benefit compared to placebo. In 2008, Israeli scientists from the Oncology Institute of the Hadassa Medical Center in Jerusalem announced they developed a vaccine that prevents recurrences of the disease among previous sufferers and increases chances of survival for current ones.
As for other traditional treatments, laser and electrocautery treatments are not always effective because they only reach the outermost layers of the skin, while moles penetrate very deep into the dermal tissue, often beyond the reach of these treatments. Surgery involves cutting out the mole. The resulting wound requires stitches, which will in turn leave a scar.
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