Survival statistics for melanoma skin cancer
Survival statistics for cancer are very general estimates and must be interpreted very carefully. Because these statistics are based on the experience of groups of people, they cannot be used to predict a particular person’s chances of survival.
There are many different ways to measure and report cancer survival statistics. Your doctor can explain these statistics and what they mean to you.
Net survival
Net survival represents the probability (chance) of surviving cancer in the absence of other causes of death. It is used to give an estimate of the percentage of people who will survive the cancer.
In Canada, the 5-year net survival for melanoma skin cancer is 89%. This means that, on average, about 89% of people diagnosed with melanoma will live for at least 5 years.
Survival by stage
Survival varies with each stage of melanoma. Generally, the earlier melanoma is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome. Most melanomas are found at an early stage and this type of cancer often responds well to cancer treatment.
Superficial spreading melanoma is the most common type of melanoma. It tends to be a thin tumour that stays on the surface of the skin and is often easy to treat.
There are no specific Canadian statistics available for the different stages of melanoma. The following information is based on the 2017 American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Melanoma Staging Database. It includes survival statistics from other countries that are likely to have similar outcomes as in Canada. Melanoma-specific survival is an estimate of the percentage of people with melanoma who have not died from the disease in a certain period of time since diagnosis.
|
Stage |
5-year melanoma-specific survival |
|---|---|
|
stage 1A |
99% |
|
stage 1B |
97% |
|
stage 2A |
94% |
|
stage 2B |
87% |
|
stage 2C |
82% |
|
stage 3A |
93% |
|
stage 3B |
83% |
|
stage 3C |
69% |
|
stage 3D |
32% |
|
stage 4 |
50% |
Questions about survival
Talk to your doctor about your prognosis. A prognosis depends on many factors, including:
- your health history
- the type of cancer
- where the cancer started on the skin
- the stage, including how thick the tumour is and if there is broken skin with an open wound (called ulceration)
- the treatments chosen
- how the cancer responds to treatment
Only a doctor familiar with these factors can put all of this information together with survival statistics to arrive at a prognosis.