The prognosis of melanoma is not bad when it is diagnosed and treated early. In other words, you have high chance to completely heal if the disease is detected at its early stage.
Nevertheless, an advanced melanoma can cause complications even after treatment. Thus, after treatment, a very prolonged monitoring is necessary to detect recurrence and ensure there are no other suspicious lesions. In the absence of an effective treatment and regular surveillance, the tumor can spread and give rise to metastases in the following sites:
- lymph nodes
- lung
- skin
- brain
- spinal cord
- liver
- bone.
With metastases, your chance of survival decreases dramatically. To prevent metastases or/and recurrence, it is important to follow your doctor’s appointments and take all precautionary measures indicated by your oncologist.
Melanoma Symptoms Melanoma Diagnosis