There are millions of men and women in America who spend a significant amount of time out in the sun. Many people enjoy the sun so much that they spend many days, months and even years in the sun without using any skin protection from dangerous UV sun rays. After many years of UV exposure, consequences and risks eventually occur. Unfortunately, melanoma cancer has been one of the most common cancers ever diagnosed in the United States. Experts estimate that there will be approximately more than 96,480 new cancer cases diagnosed in 2019 and roughly 7,230 U.S. deaths from melanoma cancer.

Surprisingly, experts point out that the number of skin cancer diagnosis have significantly increased over the last 30 years. As we age, the risk of developing skin cancer also increases. However, there are quite a bit of mole screening and melanoma cancer treatments that may be effective:

1. Skin cancer surgery
Surgery is one of the main options for treating melanoma cancer. Usually, surgery is most successful in the early stages of melanoma development. Depending on the stage and progression of the cancer, a physician will determine the type of surgery to perform, for instance:

• Wide excision surgery removes the cancer completely from the skin. This surgery is effective with the most thin melanomas.
• Mohs surgery removes several layers of the skin containing melanoma cells using a microscope in order to remove very thin layers, portion by portion.

2. Immunotherapy
This type of treatment uses medications in order to improve the patient’s immune system so it can effectively recognize and destroy cancer cells. There are quite a few of immunotherapy medications that are used for this treatment (i.e., immune checkpoint inhibitors, oncolytic virus therapy, cytokines, imiquimod creams, etc.).

3. Targeted cancer therapies
Targeted therapy for melanoma cancer has been very effective for many individuals. This treatment specifically uses drugs that alter the proteins that cause melanoma skin cancer cells to mutate, grow, and divide out of control so they cease the division of cancer cells in the body, preventing further growth. Many doctors prescribe this form of treatment if chemotherapy has not been successful.

4. Chemo
Chemotherapy for melanoma cancer is a very common form of treatment that uses certain medications (i.e., injection or oral pills) in order to attack and kill cancer cells.