Our skin is the largest organ that protects our body from external components like germs, dust, etc. It is exposed to harsh weather conditions and prone to many problems, including health issues like cancer. One such problem is melanoma. It is a type of skin cancer that is the seventeenth most common cancer worldwide.
Now, with the concept of medical tourism, cancer treatment is not confined to any geographical boundaries, and people are choosing options for melanoma cancer treatment abroad. Moreover, India is now one of the favourite spots for cancer treatment (including melanoma cancer) due to the expertise of healthcare professionals and the quality of services. Moreover, Indian healthcare institutions have employed the world's best technology to offer their patients the best melanoma cancer treatment.
What is melanoma cancer?
Melanoma is a variant of skin cancer that originates in skin melanocytes and makes them grow abnormally. These cells are responsible for melanin production, the brown pigment in our complexion.
The exact cause of melanoma cancer is unknown, but sun exposure can increase the risk of developing this skin cancer. Moreover, people under 40 (especially women) are more vulnerable to this cancer.
It can affect any spot on the body but usually affects the areas usually exposed to the sun, like the face, arms, and legs. The most common symptoms of melanoma cancer are:
- Changes in the appearance of existing moles
- Development of new pigmented and unusual growth
What are the benefits of melanoma cancer treatment?
It is essential to get melanoma cancer treatment as soon as possible because:
- Early diagnosis makes a recovery smoother: Timely diagnosis can make the entire treatment process shorter and smoother. It will help you return to your daily routine sooner.
- Slows growth and complications: It will ensure that the progress of the cancer is paused and no more complications are developed.
- Relief from symptoms: Melanoma cancer can lead to soaring pain, and only the treatment can help you get relief from this pain.
- Expands lifespan: Cancer is a deadly disease that affects a person's lifespan and quality of life. You can cure the problem with the right treatment and expand your life expectancy.
- Reduces risk of recurrence: By following the treatment and follow-up plan, you can reduce the chances of recurrence to a great extent.
What are the treatment criteria for melanoma cancer treatment in India?
Anyone diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer can opt for its treatment in India. But there are many treatment options available. Selecting the right treatment process, there are many factors affecting that decision, including:
- The thickness of the primary melanoma
- The growth rate of cancer
- Melanoma's stage
- Other health conditions
- Possible side effects
- Patient's treatment goals and quality of life
What are the different types of melanoma cancer?
There are primarily eight types of melanoma cancer, including:
- Superficial spreading melanoma: This is a cancer type that grows in the outward direction of the skin. It is one of the most common melanoma types, with an incidence rate of around 60–70%. It usually triggers the trunk in men, whereas it affects the legs in women.
- Nodular melanoma: It grows in the depth of the skin layers and is the second most common melanoma type, with an incidence rate between 15 and 30 percent.
- Amelanotic melanoma: Usually, melanomas are dark, but this melanoma appears red. The reason behind this appearance is the absence of melanin. This melanoma type is rare and often misinterpreted as a different skin problem.
- Lentigo malignant melanoma: The patient experiences the development of coloured patches (also known as Hutchinson's melanotic freckle) in the outward direction of the skin layers. But after some time, the growth may progress into the deeper layers of the skin and form lumps.
- Acral lentiginous melanoma: In this melanoma type, dark-coloured patches develop on the palms, soles, and near the toenails.
- Mucosal melanoma: It originates from the mucous membrane, which is present in areas like the mouth, vagina, and digestive system.
- Melanoma of the eye: As the name reveals, it starts in the middle layer of the eye (uvea) and is also known as uveal melanoma or choroid melanoma.
- Desmoplastic melanoma: It can develop anywhere on the body but usually starts on the head and neck.
How to prepare for melanoma cancer surgery?
The most common melanoma cancer treatment approach is surgery. You may be worried about the surgery. Hence, following the below tips can help you prepare yourself.
Before surgery
- Discuss everything with your oncologist: Understand what kind of surgery will be performed and its risks and benefits. Also, if you consume supplements or medication, let your doctor know. Sometimes, these drugs can lead to complications after interacting with anaesthesia. Your surgeon can suggest if you should continue or stop consuming such medicines.
- Prepare all the documentation before surgery: If you need to prepare any essential documents like your power of attorney or will, prepare them before the surgery.
On the day of surgery
Keep your skin clean: Take a shower before your surgery. Remember not to apply anything on the skin, including lotions, deodorants, nail polish, etc. Moreover, there is no need to shave the surgical site.
Take off all the accessories: You must take off all the jewellery pieces, contact lenses, etc., before the surgery.
What is the surgical process for melanoma cancer treatment?
The surgical process for melanoma depends on the treatment approach. There are three different ways to treat melanoma surgically:
- Wide excision: In this surgical procedure, the affected skin cells and a small portion of surrounding healthy skin are removed. The extent of the surgical removal depends on the thickness of the melanoma. Sometimes, according to the complexity of the condition, the doctor may require a skin graft to cover the wound.
- Lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy: First, the surgeon performs lymphatic mapping by injecting a dye and radioactive tracers. Usually, the surgeon uses this mapping technique with wide local excision to remove the melanoma. Once the doctor finds cancerous cells in the sentinel lymph nodes, they remove them. It helps in understanding if cancer has spread to lymph nodes or not.
- Lymph node dissection: The surgeon may suggest this approach if the cancer is present in the sentinel lymph nodes. The affected lymph nodes are dissected. A sample of tissues is examined to check for the presence of cancer. After that, the expert will remove cancerous lymph nodes.
What are the post-treatment care and follow-up tips after melanoma cancer treatment?
After melanoma cancer treatment, there are some post-treatment care tips that you need to remember. It will help you recover faster and enhance your quality of life. Some of the tips are:
- Always visit for a follow-up session: It is equally important to visit your doctor for a follow-up session. Your doctor will examine your health to avoid complications and recurrence. You may need to go for various medical tests for the same.
Stay indoors between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Wear outfits that can cover your full body. You can also wear a hat.
- Apply sunscreen lotion (with SPF 30 or more) every day. Reapply it within 2–3 hours when exposed to the sun.
- Avoid the use of indoor tanning devices.
- Always wear sunglasses when travelling outdoors.
Manage side effects: Like other cancer treatments, the patient may experience a few side effects, and sometimes these may affect the physical as well as mental health of the patient. In every follow-up session, you should discuss the same with your doctor. It will help with faster rehabilitation.
Keep all health records safe: One of the most neglected things is not keeping your health records. These health records will help your doctor analyse your progress. Hence, always keep them to yourself.
What are the potential risks and complications after melanoma treatment?
After the melanoma treatment, the patient may experience some side effects that can affect them physically or mentally. These side effects depend on the type of treatment procedure and the patient's health condition.
- Surgery: In this process, the surgeon removes the skin from the affected area and then stitches it back. Sometimes, these stitches can lead to scars, which can deteriorate the patient's confidence.
- Immunotherapy: Sometimes immunotherapy can lead to autoimmune disorders wherein the body's immune system attacks the body's healthy organs.
- Chemotherapy: Sometimes chemotherapy destroys healthy cells along with cancerous ones. Hence, it can lead to various side effects like hair loss, sudden appetite loss, fatigue, mouth sores, suppressed immunity, nausea, and vomiting.
- Targeted therapy: This treatment approach targets abnormal changes in the cells. But sometimes, it can affect the changes going through the genes (BRAF). Thus, it can lead to various problems like headaches, fatigue, fever, thickened skin, and rashes.
- Radiation therapy: Radiation waves usually target the cancerous area. But sometimes, it may lead to various health issues like weight loss, hair loss, redness, tiredness, nausea, etc.
What is the cost of melanoma cancer treatment in India?
Cancer treatment costs in any country depend on the hospital, location, the healthcare professionals' expertise, the case's complications, and the treatment approach. India is one of the most renowned destinations for healthcare. The melanoma cancer treatment cost can range from 1.75 lakh INR to 4.25 lakh INR. Average costs in some of the well-known Indian cities are:
- New Delhi- 2.65L
- Gurgaon- 2.65L
- Mumbai- 2.75L
- Kolkata- 3.5L
- Bangalore- 2.9L
What is the outcome and success rate of melanoma cancer treatment?
After melanoma cancer treatment, you can stay carefree. You don't need to experience the pain. One can judge the success rate of melanoma cancer treatment by the survival rate. According to some records, the 5-year survival rate is more than 99%, 71%, and 32% in the cases of localised, regional, and distant melanoma, respectively.
How to live with melanoma cancer treatment?
After the treatment, melanoma survivors need to pay more attention to their health and follow some tips:
- Follow the entire diagnosis and follow-up plan: Your doctor may have recommended that you visit them periodically and do some diagnostic tests. You need to follow them religiously.
- Maintain the right body weight with a healthy diet plan: Consume healthy fruits and vegetables. You must avoid processed foods, sugary beverages, red meat, etc. It will help in maintaining the right body weight.
- Give time for exercise: You should devote some time to exercise every day. It will help maintain the right weight and improve mobility.
- Avoid alcohol: You need to avoid alcohol for a speedy recovery and healthy well-being.
What are the alternatives to melanoma cancer treatment?
There are many treatment options under complementary and alternative medicine approaches. These options can help provide some relief from the pain but may not cure cancer. It would be best to talk to your doctor before opting for these. Some of the alternative melanoma treatment options are:
- Nutrition therapy: It works on consuming the required nutrients and exercising every day for a fit body. It helps fight all infections and reduce the side effects of standard treatment.
- Naturopathic medicine: It includes herbal supplements and therapies like acupuncture and massage. Antioxidants in the supplements help reduce the chances of tumour development, and massages/acupuncture can help relieve pain and anxiety.
- Hydrotherapy: Hydro means water; hence, it is a therapy that uses water at extreme temperatures, such as a steam bath or ice. It helps reduce inflammation while relaxing the muscles at the same time.
- Many treatment options, like meditation and tai chi, can help reduce anxiety and comfort the patient's emotional self.
Conclusion
Melanoma is a subtype of skin cancer and is completely curable. But one can explore the concept of medical tourism to get the best treatment in the world. Getting melanoma cancer treatment cost in India can be a great decision, as you get economical treatment with trusted experts and high-end technology.
Adotrip can become your buddy for your melanoma cancer treatment abroad. We can help you find a hotel and medical experts for effective treatment within your budget. You will also get some additional perks, like:
- One-stop solution: Adotrip is a one-stop solution for your medical tourism requirements. From a medical visa and air ambulance to a stay and hospital, you can get assistance for everything.
- The best deals on everything: Cancer treatment abroad can be expensive. Hence, we come up with the best deals on everything. It will help you get the most affordable melanoma cancer treatment in India.
- Effective treatment option: We ensure you get the best healthcare facilities in India to treat cancer.
- For more information, visit Adotrip.com. For a personal consultation or inquiries related to melanoma, contact us anytime.
FAQs Related to Melanoma Cancer
Q. How much does melanoma cancer treatment cost?
A. Melanoma treatment depends on how much it has spread, the type of treatment, the hospital, etc. But on average, the melanoma cancer treatment costs may vary from 1.75 lakh INR to 4.25 lakh INR. But these are just estimations; you should contact Adotrip for better guidance.
Q. Does insurance cover melanoma cancer treatment costs?
A. Usually, the insurance plan does not cover skin cancer treatments, or they are covered only in certain stages. But some insurance plans (including health insurance and cancer insurance) can provide financial help in all stages. You need to check your policy documents to check for this provision.
Q. What are the costs associated with different types of melanoma cancer treatment?
A. The factors that can affect the treatment cost include the subtype of melanoma, its severity, the exact treatment approach, the duration of the treatment, and the hospital location.
Q. Are there any alternative melanoma treatment options that may be more cost-effective?
A. The ideal treatment approach depends on the severity. When combined with the traditional treatment approach, alternative treatment may be beneficial to pacing up the recovery duration. But there are no proven results on the success rate of complementary and alternative treatment options like dietary supplements, tai chi, acupuncture, etc.
Q. How can I plan for and manage the financial burden of melanoma cancer treatment?
A. Melanoma cancer treatment can become a financial burden for you. But you can plan your expenses with these tips.
- Check your insurance documents to understand the availability of coverage.
- Take financial help from NGOs and banks (if possible).
- Check for the most affordable treatment options.
- Take counselling from a professional.
Q. Can I use a medical loan or crowdfunding to cover melanoma cancer treatment costs?
A. You can consider a medical loan or crowdfunding option to cover the treatment cost. But you must check the terms and conditions to understand if it will be helpful for you or not.
Q. What are the different types of melanoma cancer treatments available?
A. Apart from surgery, there are many other treatment options for melanoma cancer, consisting of:
- Immunotherapy: Your doctor may suggest this treatment approach for either stage 3 or stage 4 melanoma. It uses various drugs, like ipilimumab, nivolumab, pembrolizumab, etc., to improve immunity and destroy cancerous cells.
- Targeted therapy: It uses various medicines, like vemurafenib, dabrafenib, etc., to stop the mutation of cancerous cells.
- Radiotherapy and chemotherapy: These options are suggested along with more traditional ones to improve recovery. Prescription medicines can prevent or control many side effects. Usually, the side effects are temporary, but you still need to discuss them with your oncologist. Nowadays, chemotherapy is rarely suggested for melanoma treatment compared to targeted and immunotherapy.
- Vaccines: Under the clinical trial approach, our researchers are researching vaccines for melanoma. One can also opt for this approach.
