skin disorders
Melanoma
Prognosis for Melanoma
Melanoma may spread rapidly and cause death within months of diagnosis. The less a melanoma has grown deeper into the skin, the greater the chance that surgery will cure it. Almost 100% of the earliest, most shallow melanomas are cured by surgery. However, melanomas that have grown deeper than about1/32inch (about 1 millimeter) into the skin have a higher risk of metastasizing to the lymph nodes and blood vessels. Once melanoma has metastasized to distant parts of the body, the 5-year survival rate is approximately 35%. Some people live for less than 9 months. However, the course of the disease varies greatly and depends in part on the strength of the body’s immune defenses. Some people survive in apparent good health for several years despite the spread of the melanoma. 