TREATMENT OF MELANOMA IN TURKEY
MENU PAGES:
1. What is important to know about melanoma treatment?
2. What if there is a suspicion of skin cancer?
3. Which doctor should I go to?
4. How to determine if it is melanoma?
5. Is melanoma treated or not?
6. Is it obligatory to remove melanoma? Will it get worse?
7. Is it possible to be cured with the help of folk remedies?
8. I was diagnosed with skin cancer. What to do?
9. What diagnostics do I need to undergo if I have had skin cancer?
10. What to do in case of relapse?
11. How is skin cancer treated?
12. What new methods are used in the world?
13. What is the prognosis for melanoma at stages 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4?
14. How can I register for a hospital abroad? How quickly can I get to the clinic?
15. Do the clinics provide a transfer, an interpreter?
16. Is it possible to get remote consultation on melanoma treatment?
17. Is discharge from the local hospital sufficient to continue treatment abroad?
1. What is important to know about melanoma treatment?
This is one of the most aggressive types of cancer, so treatment should be started immediately. The earlier this is done, the better the prognosis: according to the American Cancer Society, 98% of patients survive at an early stage at the turn of 5 years.
The algorithms of actions of doctors with such a disease in world practice do not have significant differences: the main task of an oncologist is to destroy all cancer cells in the body.
However, there is a difference in treating melanoma at home and abroad:
The novelty of the equipment. In foreign clinics, the latest modifications of devices for radiation therapy are used. With their help, irradiation is quick and safe: 1 session takes 10-15 minutes, and the accuracy of the procedure reaches 0.5 mm. For comparison, the duration of radiotherapy in old installations is 30-60 minutes, and the irradiation error is a few centimeters.
Variety and availability of modern targeted and immunotherapy drugs. Many clinics in the post-Soviet space use outdated protocols and prescribe ineffective chemotherapy to patients. World-class medical centers are developing promising drugs for immuno- and targeted therapy, which give a chance to prolong life and improve its quality even with advanced skin cancer. Due to the peculiarities of licensing, such drugs do not immediately become available in the CIS. You can undergo melanoma treatment abroad, purchase medications and continue therapy at home.
Melanoma (melanoblastoma) is a type of skin cancer that develops from melanocytes (pigment cells). The peculiarities of this disease are the external similarity with harmless moles and extremely rapid progression: it can take less than a year from diagnosis to metastasis to vital organs. Such a tumor develops in any part of the body, including the feet, palms, nail plates, eyes, mucous membranes of the mouth, nose and genitals.
2. What if there is a suspicion of skin cancer?
If you find a suspicious mole, see an experienced dermatologist. He will check the formation through a dermatoscope. If it has signs of malignancy, he will offer to remove it.
Do not settle for laser burning a mole or freezing it with liquid nitrogen! These methods destroy the material for research, and you will not know if you have had melanoma.
Any suspicious skin lesions should be surgically removed and examined under a microscope.
This procedure is called an excisional biopsy: the tumor is removed under local anesthesia and the material is sent to a laboratory. Based on the biopsy results, the doctor determines the next steps.
3. Which doctor should I go to?
For the initial examination of a mole, a dermatologist's consultation is enough. If necessary, he will refer you to an oncodermatologist / oncologist.
... 4. How to determine if it is melanoma?
There are not enough visual signs to make a diagnosis, so the patient always undergoes a comprehensive examination. The doctor collects anamnesis - specifies previous diseases, genetic predisposition to the development of cancer, etc., examines a suspicious mole with a dermatoscope and examines the lymph nodes close to the neoplasm.
The only accurate staging method
diagnosis "melanoma" - biopsy. The doctor removes the suspicious nevus and conducts histopathological examination. This is how he determines the type of cells and the degree of their penetration into the skin. To clarify the stage, the doctor performs a biopsy of the sentinel nodes (Sentinel biopsy), which shows whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes close to the tumor. In this case, a CT scan of the brain, MRI, or positron emission tomography (PET-CT) of the whole body must be performed.
After a comprehensive examination, the doctor can revise the expected stage and supplement the surgical treatment with drug therapy or radiation.
5. Is melanoma treated or not?
Melanoma is not a sentence. Like any other type of oncology, it is treated. The success of treatment depends on the stage at which you started it: the sooner it happens, the higher the chances of recovery.
6. Is it obligatory to remove melanoma? Will it get worse?
Skin cancer must be treated, and removal is the first and essential step on the road to recovery.
The consequences of untreated skin cancer are serious - atypical cells are carried with the blood and lymph flow to vital organs (brain, liver, lungs), where they form new tumors. Metastases prevent organs from performing their functions and, as a result, disrupt the vital activity of the whole organism.
Therefore, remember: it will become worse if melanoma is not treated or if the operation is entrusted to an inexperienced specialist. Contact an oncodermatologist who specializes in skin cancer - only in this case, the treatment will be as effective as possible.
Skin cancer must be treated, and removal is the first and essential step on the road to recovery.
The consequences of untreated skin cancer are serious - atypical cells are carried with the blood and lymph flow to vital organs (brain, liver, lungs), where they form new tumors. Metastases prevent organs from performing their functions and, as a result, disrupt the vital activity of the whole organism.
Therefore, remember: it will become worse if melanoma is not treated or if the operation is entrusted to an inexperienced specialist. Contact an oncodermatologist who specializes in skin cancer - only in this case, the treatment will be as effective as possible.
7. Is it possible to be cured with the help of folk remedies?
This type of cancer progresses rapidly. You do not have time for saline lotions and other folk remedies: they will not help, and you will only lose the opportunity to start treatment at an early stage.
The sooner your tumor is removed, the more likely you are to heal completely.
8. I was diagnosed with skin cancer. What to do?
The coordinating doctors of Medikal & Estetik Group have prepared a step-by-step algorithm for you.
Step 1: Removing the lesion and examining it
You will have a biopsy of the suspicious mole and a histopathologist examines the tissue under a microscope. So he determines whether it contains cancer cells and whether it has grown deep into the skin. Today, this is the only way to know for sure if you have melanoma. After determining the cell type, the doctor examines the sentinel lymph nodes (the nearest to the tumor on the way of lymph drainage). If there is a risk that cancer has spread in them, they are removed. Sentinel biopsies can also be performed at the same time as the tumor itself is removed.
Step 2: staging
Based on the results of a biopsy of the skin and lymph nodes, the oncodermatologist determines the stage. This is the most important information - it depends on it whether further treatment is needed.
Many insurance companies require a second opinion to be sure of a diagnosis. If you need it, do not hesitate: the sooner you receive confirmation, the sooner you begin treatment. Leave a request on the site to consult with leading foreign oncodermatologists and get an alternative opinion as soon as possible.
Step 3: Comprehensive examination
If cancer cells are found in the lymph nodes, the dermatologist prescribes a general examination - CT, MRI, PET-CT, blood test. These methods allow you to detect the smallest particles of the tumor in other tissues and clarify the stage. If you managed to remove the melanoma before it spreads beyond the upper layer of the skin (in situ stage), you do not need further treatment. The main thing now is to focus on the state of health and condition of moles and not to miss scheduled examinations with a dermatologist.
If the cancer progresses, you are referred to a medical oncologist who makes a systemic treatment plan.
Step 4: Potential Staging and Treatment
In the early stages, surgery is the only method needed. However, this type of cancer is progressing rapidly, and the program may include drug and radiation therapy. The goal of postoperative treatment is to destroy all cancer cells in the body and prevent melanoma from developing again.
Steps 5-6: Follow-up and follow-up
Often, follow-ups include self-examinations, scheduled visits to a dermatologist, and regular brain and whole body scans (CT, MRI, PET-CT). You must strictly adhere to the schedule set up by your doctor to keep yourself safe from recurrence.
9. What diagnostics do I need to undergo if I have had skin cancer?
Your doctor will schedule diagnostic procedures, which usually include MRI, whole body PET / CT, and brain CT. You also need to regularly take a general, biochemical blood test to monitor the state of the body, and a test for the level of lactate dehydrogenase (an enzyme LDH). The LDH level rises as the disease progresses.
A blood test is not a diagnostic method, but it can help determine a potential relapse.
10. What to do in case of relapse?
If the illness comes back, follow the doctor's instructions - he will make a treatment plan for you. The program depends on the stage at which the recurrent melanoma was detected. In the early stages, you are prescribed excision of the tumor, if metastases are detected, systemic therapy is prescribed.
You can get a second opinion from an oncologist to verify the accuracy of the diagnosis and the correctness of the prescribed methods or to change the tactics of treatment.
11. How is skin cancer treated?
The oncologist develops an individual treatment plan for you, which takes into account the characteristics of the course of the disease and the state of the body. Doctors use both surgical and non-surgical techniques - medication and radiation therapy.
In the early stages, the main method is surgical removal.
In the later stages, patients must be prescribed medication - immuno- or targeted therapy. If the patient has a high risk of developing metastases, the doctor prescribes a course of immunotherapy after the operation. Radiotherapy is most commonly used to treat secondary tumors.
It is important to know: for melanoma, chemotherapy alone is ineffective. In some cases, it is prescribed for the treatment of secondary tumors in combination with immuno- or targeted drugs.
12. What new methods are used in the world?
Targeted, or gene therapy. Targeted therapy acts on the receptors of cancer cells (including metastases), as a result of which they die. Such drugs can only be effective if the tumor has a mutation in the BRAF or cKIT genes that are targeted by the drugs. To find out if cancer will be susceptible to them in your case, doctors do genetic testing of tissues.
2. Immunotherapy. Drugs in this group train the immune system to recognize and attack malignant cells.
3. Adoptive T-cell therapy. To treat progressive melanoma, immune T cells are isolated from the patient's blood and placed in a special environment so that they multiply. They are then injected back into the bloodstream and the body fights cancer on its own.
13. What is the prognosis for melanoma at stages 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4?
The prognosis is based on a 5-year survival rate. This indicator means how many people with such a diagnosis survive the milestone of 5 years.
Melanoma spread
5-year survival rate
Localized (within the skin)
98%
Regional (affected the nearest lymph nodes)
64%
Distant (spread to distant tissues, lymph nodes and organs)
23%
* Data from the American Cancer Society
Remember, this is an overall estimate and does not include the details of your case. The prognosis for a particular patient can only be made by the attending physician.
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14. How can I register for a hospital abroad? How quickly can I get to the clinic?
Leave a request on the website to get a consultation with a Medikal & Estetik Group doctor. He will help you choose the best clinic for the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma, transfer your extracts to the medical center and receive a preliminary treatment program for you with an estimated price. The timing depends on the specific medical institution. On average, travel arrangements take 2-5 days.
After agreeing on the plan and terms with you, our care department will organize the trip: help you book tickets and accommodation (if necessary), order a transfer for you. Upon arrival at the clinic, you will be accompanied by a coordinator or translator.
Bookimed's coordinating doctor will stay in touch with you 24/7 so that both the trip and the treatment will be as comfortable as possible for you.
15. Do the clinics provide a transfer, an interpreter?
Most medical centers focused on the reception of foreign patients provide a meeting service at the airport and a transfer, a Russian-speaking coordinator or translator who accompanies you during treatment. You can find out more about the service on the pages of specific clinics on our website or from the Bookimed coordinator.
16. Is it possible to get remote consultation on melanoma treatment?
It is important to make an accurate diagnosis, therefore, the review of medical documents by another specialist is highly desirable. As a patient, you have the right to request an alternative opinion from any specialized oncodermatologist. With Bookimed, you have the opportunity to get advice from the most experienced foreign doctors without traveling abroad. To do this, leave a request on the website and prepare your medical records, disks with the results of CT, MRI, PET-CT. The Bookimed coordinating doctor will contact you, who will answer your questions and arrange a “second opinion” service.
17. Is discharge from the local hospital sufficient to continue treatment abroad?
It is important to understand that in order to effectively treat melanoma, your doctor must have the most up-to-date information about your health. If you have passed the examination a long time ago or it is not informative, you will have to pass it upon arrival abroad.
If you had a skin biopsy, take your glasses with you - the doctor will revise to make sure the stage is correct. You can also take CT and MRI discs so that the oncologist can track the progress of the disease.
18. What determines the cost of melanoma treatment?
Factors that affect the cost:
the volume of diagnostic procedures, the need for a second biopsy, PET-CT;
complex of medical procedures;
the price policy of the medical center.
Procedure Turkey Germany Israel
Extended diagnostics + removal of education from $ 11232
19. COST OF TREATMENT FOR MELANOMA IN TURKEY
Detailed blood test from $ 50
BRAF gene mutation analysis from $ 260
Immunotherapy with Keytruda (Pembrolizumab) from $ 3300
Complex diagnostics for skin cancer from $ 2699
Consultation with an oncologist from $ 70
Mos Microsurgery from $ 2933
Extended diagnostics + removal of education from $ 11232
Revision of histological material from $ 35
Scintigraphy from $ 60
Removal of melanoma from $ 7000
Wide excision of melanoma from $ 14000
Need help?
Doctors-coordinators will advise you and help you with the choice. Services Medikal & Estetik Group are free for you and do not affect the clinic bill.
Coordinator Medikal & Estetik Group help you find the best solution for cancer treatment
Before traveling, you can get a Turkish doctor's opinion on your diagnosis and treatment prescribed. For the patient, this is an opportunity to receive advice from the world's best specialists.