About advanced melanoma

Advanced melanoma means the melanoma has spread from where it started to another part of the body. It is also called stage 4 melanoma.

Your melanoma may have already spread when it was diagnosed. Or it may have come back in another part of the body some time after your first diagnosis and treatment. Doctors call this recurrent cancer.

Cancer that has spread to another part of the body is called secondary cancer or metastases.

Modern treatments may control melanoma for a long time. And in a small number of patients, there are hopes they may be cured, or treatment can have long term control. 

Where melanoma spreads

Melanoma can spread to almost anywhere in the body but the most common places for it to spread are the:

• lymph nodes
• lungs
• liver
• bones
• brain
• tummy (abdomen)

How you might feel

Finding out you have advanced melanoma can be a shock. It’s common to feel uncertain and anxious. It's normal to not be able to think about anything else.

Treatment may be able to shrink the melanoma or stop it growing. You will need to talk to your specialist to understand:

• what your diagnosis means
• what’s likely to happen
• what treatments are available
• how treatment can help you

Even if the melanoma is advanced, it might be months or sometimes years before your doctor can no longer control it.