Treatment options

Metastatic melanoma to the liver is generally incurable. That said, life expectancy and quality of life can be improved thanks to a number of therapies.

When selecting a treatment option, the main factors that must be considered are:

•    Where the cancer started (know as the 'primary site')
•    How much of the cancer has spread to the liver (for example, only one tumor versus many tumors in the liver)
•    Whether the cancer has metastasized to other organs outside of the liver
•    The patient's overall health

When metastatic melanoma has spread to the liver and other organs, chemotherapy will usually be given to the whole body. Doctors call this ‘systemic chemotherapy’.

If the metastatic melanoma has only reached the liver, physicians may look at removing the liver tumors surgically. This is called ‘resection’.

Usually, resection will only be used when the cancer is confined to a small number of areas within the liver.

Sometimes, surgical removal of the liver tumors will be accompanied by systemic chemotherapy. For example, systemic chemotherapy may be used to help shrink the tumors so that they are easier to remove surgically.

Transarterial chemoembolization is another class of treatment. This involves trying to kill the tumor in two ways. Firstly by blocking the blood vessels that feed it. And secondly by attacking the area immediately in and around the tumor with a high dose of chemotherapy.

Yttrium-90 microspheres are another form of treatment. These are tiny beads containing low-level radiation. They are injected into the arteries in the liver that feed individual tumors. The radiation helps shrink the tumor.

Metastatic melanoma to the liver may also be treated with ablation. This involves killing tumors in the liver with high levels of heat.