Booklet: What You Need to Know about Melanoma

Recovery and Outlook

People with melanoma and their families are naturally concerned about their recovery from cancer and their outlook for the future. Sometimes people use statistics to try to figure out their chances of being cured. However, statistics reflect the experience of large groups of patients, not individuals. Statistics cannot be used to predict what will happen to a particular patient because no two patients are alike, and treatments and responses vary greatly. The doctor who takes care of the patient and knows his or her medical history is in the best position to talk about the chance of recovery (prognosis). People should feel free to ask the doctor about their prognosis, while keeping in mind that not even the doctor knows exactly what will happen.

When doctors discuss a patient's prognosis, they may talk about surviving cancer rather than a cure. Although many patients with melanoma are actually cured, the disease can return. It is important to discuss the possibility of recurrence with the doctor.

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