Melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer. However, a melanoma diagnosis is not a death sentence.
According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for people diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma that has spread to nearby lymph nodes or structures (regional spread) is 66 percent. For patients diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma (distant spread), the five-year survival rate is 27 percent.
Prognosis for Stage 3 Melanoma: With appropriate treatment, Stage III melanoma is considered intermediate to high risk for recurrence or metastasis. With all melanoma, the earlier it is detected and treated, the better. The 5-year survival rate as of 2018 for regional melanoma (Stage III) is 63.6%.
Treatments for Stage III Melanoma
The typical treatment approach for stage III melanoma is a wide excision surgery to remove the primary tumor, as well as a dissection to remove the lymph node(s). Following surgery, further treatment may include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, or radiation therapy.
Stage IIIC.
The 5-year survival rate is around 40%. The 10-year survival rate is around 24%.
What are the signs of late-stage skin cancer? Melanoma is considered stage 4 when it has metastasized to lymph nodes in a part of the body far from the original tumor or if it has metastasized to internal organs like the lungs, liver, brain, bone or gastrointestinal tract.
Melanoma is most likely to return within the first 5 years of treatment. If you remain melanoma free for 10 years, it's less likely that the melanoma will return. But it's not impossible. Studies show that melanoma can return 10, 15, and even 25 years after the first treatment.
Pembrolizumab. Pembrolizumab, a monoclonal antibody to programmed cell death-1 protein (PD-1), has FDA approval for adjuvant treatment of resected, high-risk stage III melanoma.
How fast does melanoma spread and grow to local lymph nodes and other organs? “Melanoma can grow extremely quickly and can become life-threatening in as little as six weeks,” noted Dr. Duncanson.
A stage 3 melanoma diagnosis means that the cancer cells have spread to nearby lymph nodes, but not to distant organs or any other part of the body.
Normally, the first place a melanoma tumor metastasizes to is the lymph nodes, by literally draining melanoma cells into the lymphatic fluid, which carries the melanoma cells through the lymphatic channels to the nearest lymph node basin.
Stage III melanomas are tumors that have spread to regional lymph nodes or have developed in-transit deposits of disease, but there is no evidence of distant metastasis. Stage III melanoma is regional melanoma, meaning it has spread beyond the primary tumor (local) to the closest lymph nodes, but not to distant sites.
A Stage III melanoma can be any thickness and has spread to nearby lymph nodes or tissues. Surgical removal is the main treatment.
Stage 4 is part of the number staging system. Stage 4 is also called advanced melanoma. It means the melanoma has spread elsewhere in the body, away from where it started (the primary site) and the nearby lymph nodes.
Stage 3 is part of the number staging system. It generally means that cancer cells have spread to the lymph nodes close to where the melanoma started (the primary tumour). Or it has spread to an area between the primary tumour and the nearby lymph nodes.
Stage III Melanoma means it has progressed beyond the original tumour as satellite lesions in the surrounding skin or travelled to a lymph node basin nearby. Stage IV Melanoma means the Melanoma has travelled to a distant site, usually an organ such as the lung, bones, liver or brain.
Lymphadenectomy: In cases where melanoma has spread, removal of the lymph nodes near the primary diagnosis site may be required. This can prevent the spread to other areas of your body.
more than 85 out of every 100 people (more than 85%) will survive their melanoma for 10 years or more after they are diagnosed.
After you finish treatment, your dermatologist (or oncologist) will still want to see you regularly. Melanoma can return or spread after treatment. If this happens, it's most likely to occur within the first 5 years.
In the United States, the 5-year relative survival rates for melanoma that has spread to the nearby lymph nodes is 71%.
The general symptoms of advanced melanoma include: weight loss. loss of appetite. feeling very tired (fatigued).
Studies have shown that 80% of bone metastases from malignant melanoma are found in the axial skeleton (skull, ribs, vertebral column, and pelvis) 27.
In general, when melanoma spreads to the lymph nodes, it's assumed to be more aggressive, which can alter the course of your treatment and help your health care professional choose the right therapies for you.