Early-stage melanoma treatment: what to expect

The pathology report describes features such as melanoma type, depth, ulceration, and whether the edges are clear. These findings help the team decide whether a wider margin of skin should be removed. Some people are offered a Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy when the melanoma features make lymph-node assessment useful; it is a staging procedure rather than a treatment for every patient.

Early disease is different from melanoma that has spread to distant organs. Treatment decisions should be based on your own pathology and examination, not on the word early alone.

Ask for a copy of the pathology report and arrange review with a dermatologist or skin-cancer team. Surgical Excision or Skin Cancer Surgery may remove the lesion and an appropriate surrounding margin. Tumour Removal Surgery may be discussed when a larger or more complex operation is required. Follow-Up After Cancer Treatment helps check the scar, nearby skin, and lymph-node areas.

Contact the treating team promptly if the wound becomes increasingly painful, red, warm, swollen, or produces pus, or if you develop fever. Report a new lump near the scar or in a draining lymph-node area, a persistent new skin lesion, unexplained headaches, weakness, seizures, or changes in vision without waiting for a routine visit.

Ask what the pathology shows, whether the margins are clear, whether a Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy is relevant, and how often your skin and lymph nodes should be checked. Ask when Immunotherapy would be considered and what symptoms should trigger an earlier review.