Most people with melanoma have surgery. Some also have radiotherapy or chemotherapy, or immunotherapy, or targeted therapy. If you have melanoma, you might need one of these, or a combination of them.
Your doctors will talk to you about what treatments they recommend and what options are best for you.
Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker about which treatment you might have. You can also yarn about including traditional healing, bush medicines and cultural practices into your treatment plan.
Surgery
Surgery is a procedure done to remove the cancer and help stop it from spreading to other parts of the body. Some people have minor surgery in a clinic or the doctor’s surgery. Others need to stay to hospital and have an anaesthetic and an operation. Sometimes just the melanoma and some skin around it is removed, and sometimes the lymph nodes near it are too.
Your doctor will yarn with you about what treatments they recommend, and which options are best for you. It is important to also talk to your doctor about what support you and your family need during this time and any traditional medicine or cultural practices you want to include.
Read more about surgery.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy, also called radiation therapy, uses X-rays to destroy cancer cells in one part of your body.
Most people who have radiotherapy have it every day (Monday to Friday) for 4-6 weeks, and each session can take 15 minutes. But it might be different for you.
You can only have radiotherapy in cities and some big towns – see this list. If your doctor thinks radiotherapy would help, and you don’t live near a radiotherapy site, assistance is available for travel and accommodation for you and your family.
Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker.
Read more about radiotherapy.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy, or ’chemo’, involves you taking strong drugs to kill or slow the growth of the cancer cells. Chemo may be less effective for melanoma than for some other types of cancer. Immunotherapy and targeted therapy may be better treatments for melanoma. Chemotherapy is sometimes used to prolong survival or relieve symptoms.
Many people have chemo in cycles – usually two days every three weeks, or one day every three weeks. Some people have chemotherapy tablets at home, but most need to go to a hospital or clinic. But you usually don’t need to stay in hospital for chemo.
Most chemo comes as injections into your arm or hand that drip in over a few hours. Some chemo or medications come as tablets. If you’re having chemo, your doctor will tell you exactly how it will work for you.
Chemo can make people feel sick for a while, but there are things they can do to help.
Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker. Mob who have had chemo before say that spending time on Country, traditional healing, bush medicines and engaging in cultural practices can help.
Read more about chemotherapy and side effects.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is treatment with drugs that help your immune system attack the cancer cells. Immunotherapy is given in your arm through a vein. It is usually given in cycles of once every few weeks. You will need to go to a hospital or clinic to have this treatment.
Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker, and with other mob who have had the treatment.
Read more about immunotherapy.
Targeted therapy
Targeted therapies are newer drugs that try to stop the cancer growing. Targeted therapies attack cancer cells without harming healthy cells. If your doctor thinks they might help, here are some questions to ask.
Read more about targeted therapy.