Treatment

Your treatment depends on where your melanoma is, how deep it is, whether it has spread anywhere else in your body and your general health. A team of doctors and other professionals discuss the best treatment and care for you.

Preparing for treatment and life afterwards (prehabilitation)

There are things you can do to help you feel more in control of your physical and mental health when preparing for treatment. In the hospital, preparing for treatment is also called prehabilitation or prehab.

Treatment options

Find out about how your doctor decides which treatment you need for melanoma skin cancer, the types of treatment you might have and treatment by stage.

Surgery

The type of surgery you need depends on the stage of your melanoma and where it is in your body. Read about the different types of surgery for melanoma.
 

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy uses high energy x-rays to kill cancer cells. Find out about planning radiotherapy and how you have the treatment.

Targeted cancer drugs and immunotherapy

Targeted cancer drugs work by targeting the differences in cancer cells that help them to grow and survive. Immunotherapies help the immune system to attack the cancer. 

Treatment for advanced melanoma

Treatment for advanced melanoma includes targeted cancer drugs and immunotherapy, chemotherapy and other treatments to control symptoms.

Follow up after melanoma treatment

After your treatment, you have follow up appointments and tests. Find out more about what these appointments involve and how often you have them. 

Last reviewed: 
21 May 2020
Next review due: 
21 May 2023