What is Metastatic Melanoma?

Metastatic melanoma is medical speak for when melanoma skin cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer. It starts in the skin cells that produce melanin, the chemical that gives skin its color. If it isn’t caught early, it spreads through the skin to the lymph nodes. Once in the lymph nodes, it can spread throughout the body.
When melanoma first spreads to the lymph nodes it may be possible to surgically remove the affected lymph nodes to prevent it developing into full metastatic melanoma, but usually by the time it is found in the lymph nodes, it is to late to stop the spread.
Metastatic melanoma is very difficult to treat. It does not respond well to chemotherapy or radiation. Doctors are trying immunotherapy which seems to be at least partly effective. Unfortunately, immunotherapy has some severe side effects so that many patients cannot take high doses. Since the higher the dose, the more effective it is, people who cannot take high doses of immunotherapy will not get the full benefit of the treatment.
At this point, metastatic melanoma cannot be cured. Even the best available treatments will only act to prolong life. Due to how difficult the cancer is to treat, the prognosis is poor, with only 15% of people with metastatic melanoma surviving more than 5 years.
People who have metastatic melanoma may benefit from looking for clinical trials they can join. Clinical trials test new medications that are not yet generally available to see if they will treat the cancer. Sometimes these new medications will have dangerous side effects, or will not be effective. Anyone wanting to take part in a clinical trial should speak with their doctor about what trials may be available and how likely it is to help them.