Metastatic melanoma prognosis

Metastatic melanoma  - also called stage 4 melanoma – is that which has spread to other parts of the body. Unfortunately, it’s hard to treat effectively.

As a result, people with metastatic melanoma face a poor prognosis. That said, the likely survival time varies slightly depending on where the melanoma has metastasized (i.e. spread) to.

Stage 4 melanoma that has spread to one organ offers a slightly better outlook than metastatic melanoma that has spread to two or more organs.

That said, the difference between the two is small. People with metastatic melanoma that has spread to 1 organ have a median survival time of seven months.

Metastatic melanoma that has spread to two organs results in a life expectancy of four months. When stage 4 melanoma has spread to three or more organs, life expectancy is two months.

However, some people survive longer. The one year survival rate for people with metastatic melanoma in one organ is 36%. For those with the cancer in two organs it is 13%. In those with stage 4 melanoma in three or more organs, it is 1%.

The organs to which the melanoma has spread also partially determines a person’s outlook. If the cancer has spread to the skin, lymph nodes or lungs (which doctors call ‘nonvisceral disease’), life expectancy is slightly longer. If it has spread to the liver, bone or brain (which doctors call ‘visceral disease’), life expectancy is shorter.

Other factors like the person’s age and sex or where the melanoma first started, its thickness and ulceration have little impact on survival rate.

As metastatic melanoma offers a poor prognosis, people with the disease often consider participation in clinical trials – an essential step in the search for better treatments. For more information, ask your doctor about relevant trials.