Normally, the first place a melanoma tumor metastasizes to is the lymph nodes, by literally draining melanoma cells into the lymphatic fluid, which carries the melanoma cells through the lymphatic channels to the nearest lymph node basin.
Melanoma can grow very quickly. It can become life-threatening in as little as 6 weeks and, if untreated, it can spread to other parts of the body. Melanoma can appear on skin not normally exposed to the sun.
Doctors have known for decades that melanoma and many other cancer types tend to spread first into nearby lymph nodes before entering the blood and traveling to distant parts of the body. But the implications of this detour through the lymph nodes have remained unclear.
Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer. It is derived from melanocytes, the skin's pigment cells, and can spread quickly through the lymph nodes or blood-stream if not detected at an early stage.
Because melanoma cells can spread through the blood and lymph, it may be easier for melanoma to spread when this cancer begins in the head, neck, or scalp. For this reason, treatment tends to be more aggressive.
Scalp melanomas have been shown to be more lethal than other melanomas, with one study showing scalp and neck melanomas deaths were nearly twice as common compared to melanomas elsewhere on the body.
The distribution of the location in relation to gender differs significantly for tumors on the face and scalp. Namely, 40% of all melanomas in males is on the scalp, while 55% of melanomas in females is on the face (Pearson χ2 = 13.102, p = 0.004). The overall 5-year survival is 30.2% (Table 2).
Scalp melanomas are more lethal than other melanomas. A 2014 study found that melanomas on the scalp have a much higher incidence of spreading to the brain (12.7 percent within five years after diagnosis) than those elsewhere on the head and neck (6.7 percent), or on the trunk or limbs (4.7 percent).
Melanomas of the scalp are rare.
Nodular melanoma is the second most common melanoma, but most commonly on the head and neck. It accounts for 15 to 30% of all melanoma. There is a very aggressive (rapid vertical phase), which may present on non-sun-exposed areas (de novo). These tumors are blue-black but may lack pigment.
They require a multimodality approach to treatment, with formal surgical resection and adjuvant radiation or chemotherapy. Melanoma is more likely to spread, and aggressive surgical resection with wide margins is required, in addition to radiation and/or chemotherapy.
around 90 out of every 100 people (around 90%) will survive their melanoma for 5 years or more after diagnosis. more than 85 out of every 100 people (more than 85%) will survive their melanoma for 10 years or more after they are diagnosed.
What are the signs of late-stage skin cancer? Melanoma is considered stage 4 when it has metastasized to lymph nodes in a part of the body far from the original tumor or if it has metastasized to internal organs like the lungs, liver, brain, bone or gastrointestinal tract.
Signs and symptoms of brain metastases include: Headache, sometimes with vomiting or nausea. Mental changes, such as increasing memory problems. Seizures.
As with other types of skin cancer, cancer of the scalp is diagnosed with a skin biopsy. Although surgical removal of the tumor is often the only treatment needed, advanced cases may require radiation, chemotherapy, or targeted drugs.
Melanomas may be mistaken for warts, moles, freckles, age spots, ulcers, or sores, and in some cases, they grow out of pre-existing skin growths. Melanoma lesions may bleed regularly, feel painful, or tingle.
Scalp melanoma is rare: it represents 2–5% of all skin melanomas and is significantly more frequent in male patients than female.
Mohs Micrographic Surgery (MMS) is a specialized surgical technique used to remove certain types of skin cancers on the scalp while sparing healthy tissues. MMS involves the precise and systematic removal of thin layers of tissue from the scalp until all cancerous cells on the scalp are gone.
The median time from primary melanoma diagnosis to brain metastasis was 3.2 years (range, 0–29.8 years), and the median time from stage IV diagnosis to brain metastasis was 2 months (range, 0–103 months).
Does melanoma hurt? You can have melanoma without feeling any pain or discomfort. For many people, the only sign of this skin cancer is a spot that has some of the ABCDEs of melanoma or a line beneath a nail.
Having melanoma skin cancer on the arms or legs (extremities) has a better prognosis than having melanoma skin cancer on the central part of the body (trunk), head or neck. Melanoma skin cancer on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet also has a poorer prognosis compared to other locations.