Every year, around 94,000 people in Germany are newly diagnosed with skin cancer. Of these, around 6,400 are new cases of malignant melanoma ("black skin cancer"). The number of these diseases has increased dramatically in recent years. Excessive sun exposure is one of the risk factors for the development of skin cancer. With regular sun exposure, there is a risk that the genetic material in the cell nuclei of individual skin cells will be intensively damaged - even if no sunburn occurs. Either the affected cells die or they are repaired by the cell's own repair service. However, if the skin is no longer able to heal, these damaged cells can be regarded as "germ cells" for the development of skin tumours. In addition to these molecular genetic mechanisms of UV-induced tumour development (carcinogenesis), the identification of the familial form of malignant melanoma ("black skin cancer") in particular has provided important evidence for so-called "initial melanoma genes". These are changes in the genetic material that can lead to the development of melanoma.
The following types of skin cancer are differentiated according to their cellular sites of origin in the skin:

  • Basal cell carcinoma
  • Spinocellular carcinoma
  • Malignant melanoma ("black skin cancer")
  • Lymphomas of the skin (lymphoma consultation)

In the case of basal cell and spinocellular carcinoma, the carcinogenic effect of UV radiation is already clear from the fact that these types of skin cancer primarily develop in areas of the body that are exposed to light. Malignant melanomas, on the other hand, often occur on parts of the body that are covered. However, it is known from scientific studies that UV radiation is also particularly important in the development of melanoma.

As part of our tumour consultation hours ( Thursday, 8.00 - 12.00), we offer the entire spectrum of outpatient diagnostics and aftercare for skin tumours (including high-frequency sonography of the skin and lymph nodes). In addition to the diagnosis, the planned treatment steps and any other available therapeutic options are also explained in detail.
Any cancer treatment is incomplete without tumour follow-up care. This has the task of

  • to detect a recurrence of the disease (tumour recurrence) in good time,
  • detect and treat concomitant and secondary diseases and
  • to help patients with their physical, psychological and social problems.

The individual follow-up examinations centre on discussions with the patient, questions about the course of the disease to date, how the patient is feeling, etc. and regular physical examinations. Appointments for the tumour consultation can be made by calling 0731/500-57649 daily between 8.00 am and 12.00 noon.

The treatment options vary depending on the type of skin cancer. Regardless of this, the main aim of any therapy is initially to remove the tumour completely. While in the case of basal cell and spinocellular carcinoma there are alternative methods of tumour removal other than surgery (e.g. radiotherapy, cryotherapy, photodynamic therapy), if malignant melanoma is suspected, the entire tumour tissue is excised (i.e. surgically removed) with an appropriate safety margin. The risk of metastasis is extremely low for very thin melanomas detected at a very early stage. The chances of curing this tumour are then much better than with many other forms of cancer.
However, even melanomas that are treated later can still be cured in the majority of cases. In this case, the treatment depends on the extent of the tumour. In addition to imaging procedures to detect metastases in other organs (ultrasound, X-ray, computer tomography, nuclear spin tomography, positron emission tomography), the imaging and determination of the "sentinel lymph node" ("sentinel node") is indicated from a certain tumour thickness. The sentinel lymph node is the nearest lymph node connected to the melanoma by a lymphatic duct. If an infestation with tumour cells is found, the sentinel lymph node and the corresponding lymph node station must be removed and further drug therapy is required. If tumour cells continue to colonise organs (organ metastasis), systemic therapies in the form of chemotherapy/immunotherapy are also necessary in addition to surgical therapy or radiotherapy.

Developing and testing new and more effective therapeutic procedures or drugs requires not only medical and scientific commitment, but above all a system. In clinical trials, therapies are therefore statistically planned, systematically tested and carefully analysed on a large number of patients. This is the only way to reliably determine how effective and tolerable a new chemotherapy, for example, really is. If you take part in a trial as a patient, you will be intensively cared for, regularly examined, closely monitored and treated using methods that fulfil all quality assurance requirements.
We currently offer the following trials for the treatment of malignant melanoma at our clinic:

  • in the stage of lymph node metastasis, a therapy optimisation protocol for the adjuvant treatment of malignant melanoma in stage III: intermittent, high-dose i.v. administration of interferon-alfa-2b vs. standard high-dose interferon-alfa-2b therapy, this is an ADO study
  • in the stage of distant metastasis, a multicentre study CA 184 024 with 2 treatment arms in patients with untreated stage III (unresectable) and IV melanoma receiving dacarbazine plus 10mg/kg ipilimumab (MDX010) compared to dacarbazine plus placebo

Further studies are currently being planned.

Appointments for the melanoma study consultation (Friday, 10.00 - 12.00) can be made by calling 0731/500-21820. This special consultation is offered at fortnightly intervals.