Clinical trials are being done to find chemotherapy drugs that are effective. If a doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the operation, a patient may be given chemotherapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left. Chemotherapy given after an operation to a person who has no cancer cells that can be found is called adjuvant chemotherapy. Adjuvant therapy has been shown to be effective for patients whose disease has spread to their lymph nodes. Clinical trials are being done to find adjuvant chemotherapy drugs that are effective.
Biological therapy tries to get the body to fight cancer.
It uses materials made by the body or made in a laboratory to boost, direct, or restore the body's natural defenses against disease. Clinical trials are being done to find biological therapies that are effective. Treatment by Stage Treatment of melanoma depends on the type of the disease, the stage of disease, and the patient's age and general health. Standard treatment may be considered because of its effectiveness in patients in past studies, or participation in a clinical trial may be considered. Surgery is currently the only standard treatment of melanoma.