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Malignant Melanoma

C43WHO — Skin Tumours
Skin

Key facts

Estimated new cases (US, 2026)
112,000 (SEER estimate)
5-year relative survival
94.7% overall (SEER, 2016–2022)
Stage at diagnosis
77% of cases diagnosed while still localized; 5-year relative survival then 100%
Main risk factors
UV radiation (sunlight, tanning beds), fair skin that burns easily, many or large moles, blistering sunburns in youth, family or personal history of melanoma
Detection
Skin examination and biopsy; ABCDE warning signs in moles
Median age at diagnosis
67 years (SEER, US)

Malignant melanoma of the skin is a cancer that arises in melanocytes, the cells that produce the skin's pigment. It can develop within an existing mole or appear as a new pigmented lesion; the main subtypes are superficial spreading, nodular, lentigo maligna, and acral lentiginous melanoma. In men it is most often found on the trunk, head, or neck, while in women it forms most often on the arms and legs. The typical first sign is a change in a mole, summarized by the ABCDE rule: Asymmetry, irregular Border, uneven Color, Diameter larger than 6 mm, and Evolving appearance over time. Diagnosis is established by a skin examination and a biopsy of the lesion, examined under a microscope.

Prognosis

Prognosis in melanoma depends strongly on the stage at diagnosis, as well as on tumor thickness, the presence of ulceration, and lymph node involvement. According to the US SEER registry (2016–2022 data), overall 5-year relative survival is 94.7%: 100% for localized disease — which accounts for 77% of diagnoses — 76% when regional lymph nodes are involved, and 34% for disease with distant metastases. These are population statistics describing large groups of people diagnosed in past years; they cannot predict the course of the disease in any individual person, whose outlook also depends on overall health, tumor biology, and response to treatment.

🔬 Histological Types

📚 Latest Research

2026-09-09

Long-Term Outcomes Support Utilization of 23-GEP in Clinically Ambiguous Melanocytic Neoplasms.

Bal KS, et al

A real-world cohort study of 267 clinically ambiguous melanocytic lesions with a median 6-year follow-up found that the 23-gene expression profile (23-GEP) test successfully guided a definitive diagnosis in 89.5% of difficult-to-diagnose cases. Event rates (recurrence or metastasis) were 11.5% for lesions with malignant 23-GEP results, 2.9% for intermediate results, and only 1.3% for benign results, a difference that was highly statistically significant (Fisher exact, P = 0.002). These outcomes remained consistent in the subgroup of 163 lesions with at least 5 years of follow-up or a recorded event (P = 0.007). The findings provide robust long-term real-world validation that 23-GEP testing meaningfully stratifies oncological risk and can guide clinical management decisions for patients with otherwise indeterminate melanocytic lesions.

The American Journal of dermatopathology

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2026-09-09

[Analysis of therapeutic effects of proton and heavy ion radiotherapy on uveal melanoma].

Yue H, et al

A retrospective study of 69 patients with uveal melanoma treated at Fudan University between 2015 and 2025 found that both proton beam therapy (12 patients, 17.4%) and heavy ion radiotherapy (57 patients, 82.6%) produced statistically significant tumor regression: the largest basal tumor diameter decreased from 11.3±2.9 mm to 9.5±3.5 mm and tumor thickness fell from 6.7±2.3 mm to 5.5±2.7 mm (both P<0.05). The eye preservation rate was high, with only 4 patients (5.8%) ultimately requiring enucleation, while 19 patients retained best-corrected visual acuity of ≥0.1 after treatment. The most common complications were radiation-induced retinopathy (42.0%), macular edema (37.7%), retinal detachment (34.8%), and cataracts (33.3%), a profile consistent with published particle-therapy benchmarks. These findings support particle radiotherapy — particularly heavy ion therapy — as an effective organ-preserving treatment for uveal melanoma in a Chinese clinical setting.

[Zhonghua yan ke za zhi] Chinese journal of ophthalmology

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2026-09-08

Characteristics of plasma-activated water and its effect on apoptosis of malignant melanoma cells.

Chen M, et al

Plasma-activated water (PAW) generated by a helium atmospheric pressure plasma jet triggers mitochondrial apoptosis in malignant melanoma cells, with the longest irradiation treatment (PAW5, 5 minutes) producing the strongest cytotoxic effect. Researchers found that PAW treatment reduced B16 melanoma cell viability in a time-dependent manner, increased lactate dehydrogenase release, and elevated oxidative stress markers, including a rise in malondialdehyde (MDA) content and a progressive decline in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Western blot analysis confirmed that PAW downregulated the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, upregulated pro-apoptotic Bax, and activated cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved caspase-3, collectively pointing to the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway as the key mechanism. These results position PAW as a promising non-invasive therapeutic strategy for malignant melanoma that warrants further preclinical and clinical investigation.

Biochemical and biophysical research communications

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💊 Therapies

Surgery
Immunotherapy
Cancer Vaccines
Targeted therapies
Other local treatment methods

🥗 Diet

Grapefruit and anticancer drugs

🫙 Supplements

St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) Selenium Probiotics and the gut microbiome in cancer immunotherapy Mistletoe (Viscum album) Cannabis and cannabinoids (THC, CBD, CBD oils)

🧪 Tumor markers

Lactate dehydrogenase

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🩺 Centers for this diagnosis

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See all › Outpatient clinics for this diagnosis (11) ›

Sources

  1. NCI SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Melanoma of the Skin ↗
  2. NCI PDQ: Melanoma Treatment (Patient Version) ↗