Melanoma survival rates provide the proportion of people with a particular stage of melanoma who are alive after a predetermined amount of time, normally 5 or 10 years, after diagnosis. Although these numbers can be helpful to you when making treatment and other decisions, they do not dictate how long you will live. They are not “your” numbers.
Most of the time, you will see these numbers written as 5-year survival rates. So, a 98% 5-year survival rate can be understood as predicting that 98 out of 100 people will be alive 5 years after diagnosis.
Keep in mind that these numbers are accurate for a group of people, but they don’t provide a complete picture for any one individual. Also, the data required to determine these rates are complicated, and the people the data are based on were treated 5 to 10 years ago when treatments were different from what is available today.
Melanoma treatments have improved significantly with the addition of immunotherapy and targeted therapy. These survival rates are only beginning to reflect these advancements.
Note: Melanoma treatments have improved significantly with the addition of immunotherapy and targeted therapy. These survival rates are only beginning to reflect these advancements.
If you've been recently diagnosed with melanoma, you are not alone. The Melanoma > Exchange is a free online melanoma treatment and research-focused discussion group and support community.
