Doctor’s Response
The 10-year melanoma survival rates, according to stage, are as follows:
- Stage I: 85%-96%
- Stage II: 57%-67%
- Stage III: 24%-68%
- Stage IV: 10%-15%
Prognosis is most closely related to the thickness of the melanoma as measured by the pathologist. Other factors of importance include
- the anatomic depth of penetration,
- ulceration,
- mitotic activity (rate of cell dividing),
- gene expression studies, and
- stage of the melanoma.
This is why it is of great importance to remove the entire melanoma at its earliest stage to preclude the possibility of metastatic spread, as well as determining the accurate thickness of the tumor.
In addition, new genetic tests are available that can help predict a particular tumor's sensitivity of a variety drug regimens. For example, patients whose melanoma expresses a BRAF mutation are likely to respond to vemurafenib and dabrafenib with a substantial prolongation of overall survival. Other mutations signify that other drugs are more likely to be effective.
For more information, read our full medical article on melanoma.
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