Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States and around the world. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer before they turn 70, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
And while most of the time, skin cancer is highly treatable, it can be fatal. In fact, skin cancer kills TWO people in the United States EVERY HOUR!
That’s because skin cancers, including melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma and even basal cell carcinoma can spread to other areas of the body like the lymph nodes, lungs, liver, brains and bones.
That’s why early detection and treatment could be a matter of life and death.
Metastatic Skin Cancer
If left untreated, basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer, can grow into skin, bone and cartilage that’s near the original lesion. In some rare cases, it can also spread to the lungs and lymph nodes, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.
Squamous cell carcinoma also grows deeper into the skin if it’s not treated. Then it can spread to the lymph nodes and in some cases other organs.
According to the Melanoma Research Foundation, melanoma, the most deadly skin cancer, can start anywhere on the body, including the eyes, scalp, nails, mouth and feet. And it does not discriminate by race, gender or age. It commonly spreads to the liver, lungs, bones and brain. And when it metastasizes, treatment can become more difficult.
Stage III melanoma is metastatic, according to the American Cancer Society.
Still, once it spreads, patients have treatment options including surgery, targeted drug therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiation therapy.
Radiation for Metastatic Skin Cancer
Radiation can be used to treat metastatic melanoma, or it can be used as palliative therapy. The most common form of radiation used for metastatic skin cancer is external beam radiation, including stereotactic body radiation therapy or SBRT.
One form of SBRT that’s effective to treat metastatic melanoma is CyberKnife.
CyberKnife’s missile guidance technology enables the SBRT to track a tumor’s movement in real time. The technology delivers radiation directly to the tumor, while leaving healthy surrounding tissue unharmed.
This way it can deliver the highest dose of radiation possible. With CyberKnife, patients often need a shorter course of treatment than with traditional radiation because SBRT is targeted radiation.
Plus, CyberKnife is a painless procedure and is done on an outpatient basis. It does not affect a patient’s quality of life, and most often, at the very least can extend life.
CyberKnife Studies: Metastatic Skin Cancer
CyberKnife has been proven effective to treat metastatic melanomas in clinical trials.
“CyberKnife was declared a new effective treatment for melanoma fifteen years ago,” according to a study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology from 2010.
In the study, 13 patients with metastatic melanoma were treated with CyberKnife. Six were treated for brain metastases. The others were treated for cancer that spread to the lungs, liver, abdomen, nasopharynx or sinuses. Treatments were well tolerated and survival ranged from two to 15 months.
In another study of CyberKnife for melanoma and renal cell brain metastases from 2009, 44 patients with metastatic melanoma were treated with CyberKnife.
“CyberKnife radiosurgery provided excellent local control with acceptable toxicity in patients with melanoma or renal cell brain metastases. Initial SRS alone appeared to be a reasonable option, as survival was dictated by systemic disease,” the study’s conclusion states.
CyberKnife Miami for Metastatic Skin Cancer
If you want to learn more about how CyberKnife can help you or a loved one battling metastatic melanoma, contact the experts at the CyberKnife Center of Miami, a state-of the-art radiation treatment center for cancer in South Florida. We’re here to help you navigate your treatment options whether your treatment involves radiation or not.
You can call us at 305-279-2900 or go to our website now for more information.