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Stage IV Melanoma

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Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that can start with a black mole. In Stage IV melanoma the cancer cells have spread to the other organs and the lymph nodes away from where the tumor started. Stage IV is hard to cure and it’s about a 15% chance of survival for five years. In the earlier stages melanoma is treatable, but once it’s at Stage IV it is harder to treat (Godman). Factors that affect your prognosis is your performance status on how your took care of yourself. The healthier the lifestyle the better the body will respond to treatment.
One treatment option is to have the tumor removed surgically and the lymph nodes if it has cancer cells (Stages). Another treatment is immunotherapy where a doctor uses medicine to help strengthen a patient’s immune system. The immunotherapy helps the immune system fight off cancer cells better (Immunotherapy). There is targeted therapy that can help shrink the tumor, but only temporary. Lastly there is radiation therapy and chemotherapy that help kill off cancer cells (Melanoma). …show more content…
Radiation therapy is a form of palliative care (Palliative). I would choose palliative care over treatment options to help cure or help shrink the cancer. If I’m at the point where all the treatment is pointless and there is no cure, I rather not be in pain anymore. I wouldn’t want my family to watch me go through treatment after treatment if it was of no use. The way I would leave the earth would be in no pain and no longer suffering, just a calm

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