The first surgery for melanoma is a biopsy, which will confirm the diagnosis. If the melanoma was completely removed during surgery, additional surgery may not be needed. Lymph nodes may be removed to help prevent the cancer from spreading. Side effects of surgery for melanoma depend on the tumor's size and location and the extent of the operation. Possible side effects include pain, scarring, and lymphedema.
Surgery for Melanoma: An Overview
The most common treatment for
melanoma is surgery. The first surgery for melanoma will be a biopsy, which is performed during a
melanoma diagnosis. If the doctor was able to completely remove a very thin melanoma during the biopsy, further surgery may not be necessary.
Biopsy Surgery for Melanoma
If the melanoma was not completely removed during the biopsy, the doctor will need to take out the remaining tumor. In this surgery for melanoma, the surgeon will remove the tumor and some normal tissue around it. This procedure reduces the chance that cancer cells will be left in the area. The width and depth of surrounding skin that needs to be removed will depend on the thickness of the melanoma and how deeply it has invaded the skin.
Skin Graft Surgery for Melanoma
If a large area of tissue is removed, the surgeon may do a skin graft. In this procedure, the doctor will use skin from another part of the body to replace the skin that was removed. If you have a skin graft, you may have to take special care of the area until it heals.
Lymph Node Removal Surgery for Melanoma
Lymph nodes near the tumor may be removed because cancer can spread through the lymphatic system. If the pathologist finds cancer cells in the lymph nodes, it may mean that the disease has also spread to other parts of the body.
Two procedures that are used to remove the lymph nodes are:
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