Melanoma

Our melanoma team at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University has developed innovative, groundbreaking surgeries and treatments that produce better outcomes and have been adopted by other leading cancer centers.

Our care team treats patients with all types of melanoma, including rarer forms of melanoma such as mucosal and ocular melanoma. Here is what to expect when you receive care at Winship for your melanoma:

• Multidisciplinary team: Access highly-specialized melanoma experts — medical oncologists, dermatologists, surgical oncologists and dermatopathologists — who rank among the top cancer experts in the world.
• Exceptional, coordinated care. Coordinated scheduling with our specialists streamlines your visits to make them more effective and impactful. Patients have access to our melanoma coordinator who will assist you throughout the treatment process.
• Access to specialized treatment services. For high-risk melanoma cases, patients have access to the Pigmented Lesions Clinic. Our treatment options are also unrivaled in the state. At Winship, we are using the latest, most advanced treatment methods, such as targeted therapies and immunotherapies, that are showing promising results. Patients also have access to new and emerging clinical trials.

Our experts also treat non-melanoma malignancies such as squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma and other skin cancers.

There are three common types of skin cancer, one of the most serious of which is melanoma. Melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer that develops when the cells that produce melanin in our skin (melanocytes) undergo malignant transformation.

Here at Winship, our team of physicians shares extensive experience diagnosing, staging, and treating melanoma. Your care team will draw from Emory's vast resources in dermatology, surgical oncology and medical oncology to provide the newest, most effective diagnostic tests and treatments for melanoma. Our Melanoma Program offers coordinated, cohesive care by combining the best of basic and clinical science to develop unique treatment plans for each patient.

If you have a suspicious looking lesion or spot on any part of your body, don’t delay in getting it checked out. This is crucial to help with early detection of melanoma. A melanoma diagnosis begins with a visit to your doctor.

A common diagnostic method to determine whether a patient has a malignant melanoma is a skin biopsy. A skin biopsy is a small sample of an abnormal lesion that is examined under a microscope to detect any cancerous cells. Skin biopsies can be performed in various ways, including:

• Shave biopsy: When the risk of melanoma is relatively low, the top layers of the skin are removed with a shave biopsy.
• Punch biopsy: During a punch biopsy, a small, cookie-cutter type tool is used to remove several layers of the skin.
• Excisional biopsy: The entire tumor is removed.
• Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). For melanoma that has spread, or metastasized, a procedure known as a sentinel lymph node biopsy may be used. This procedure uses a blue dye that is injected near the tumor to locate and remove it. It is then tested for cancer cells.

If necessary, advanced imaging tests and scans may be helpful in determining whether the melanoma has spread or metastasized.

As Georgia’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Winship has access to the latest advances and technologies to treat your melanoma. Treatment options for melanoma depend on various factors, including your overall health, the thickness of the tumor, and whether the cancer has spread to other areas.

One or more of the following types of treatment may be used:

Surgery

This is typically the first line of treatment for melanoma. For some patients, simply removing the malignant melanoma will cure them. Other patients with more aggressive melanoma may need additional surgery, radiation therapy, or immunotherapy after surgery. Patients with certain skin cancers in the body’s lower extremities may need to have their lymph nodes removed around the cancerous area. Here at Winship, our experts have pioneered a surgical technique to remove the lymph nodes from the groin called an inguinal lymphadenectomy. This is a minimally invasive procedure that improves recovery and lowers the risk of infection.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells.

Immunotherapy

This type of therapy uses specific medications that stimulate a patient’s immune system to fight cancer. Intratumoral injection is one innovative way that Winship is using to inject immunotherapy directly into the tumor to treat melanoma.

Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapies are more catered to a patient’s individual needs. These are by far the most specialized forms of treatment and offer a lot of promise in melanoma treatment.

Chemotherapy

These cancer-fighting drugs may be used to treat advanced-stage melanoma.

One of your best treatment options may be participation in a clinical trial. Winship has access to some of the most advanced cancer treatments and clinical trials for melanoma and other types of skin cancer. Talk with your doctor about whether you are eligible to participate in any of these clinical trials.