TREATING MUCOSAL MELANOMA
The treatment of mucosal melanoma is not always clear and treatment plans will depend heavily on the size, type, and location of the tumour. The best treatment of mucosal melanoma is the complete surgical removal (resection) of the tumour. This has the highest likelihood of a good prognosis, however, it best completed when the mucosal melanoma has not spread and is diagnosed early.
For advanced mucosal melanoma that has spread (metastasized) and cannot be removed by surgery (meaning it is unresectable) then it can be treated with radiation therapy. Compared to other forms of melanoma, mucosal melanoma does not respond well to immunotherapy. Currently, the best treatment options for patients with advanced mucosal melanoma are clinical trials focused on developing new therapies for mucosal melanoma such as different types of immunotherapies and drugs targeted to genomic mutations present in subsets of mucosal melanoma.
Mucosal Melanoma Clinical Trials
Clinical trials provide individuals with cancer access to the newest types of treatment. These trials are studies of new therapies to determine whether a medication is safe and effective.