About Metastatic Melanoma to the Liver

Metastatic melanoma to the liver is cancer that started in the skin and has spread to the liver.

The word ‘metastatic’ describes any cancer that forms in one part of the body and then spreads to another. This kind of cancer is also known as ‘secondary cancer’. Metastatic melanoma to the liver is a type of secondary liver cancer.

Melanoma itself is a cancer which develops in the skin’s pigment cells. These cells give the skin its natural colour.

Metastatic melanoma to the liver develops when cancerous cells from the skin break off and enter the bloodstream. The blood acts like a transport network and can carry cancer cells all around the body. Because it is the liver’s job to filter and purify blood, any skin cancer cells which reach the bloodstream have a high chance of settling in the liver. Here, the cancer cells will continue to grow into new liver tumours. If this occurs, you will be diagnosed with metastatic melanoma to the liver. Melanoma that has spread to organs such as the liver is known as ‘Stage IV melanoma’.

The liver is one of the key places in the body that malignant melanoma spreads to. The likelihood that metastatic melanoma will involve the liver is between 54% and 77%. This makes metastatic melanoma to the liver a common condition in patients with stage IV skin cancer.

Metastatic melanoma to the liver is an aggressive type of cancer. Unfortunately, the prognosis for patients with melanoma that has spread to the liver is generally poor.