Standard Treatment For deep melanomas without palpable lymph nodes , surgery as for Stage I is the standard procedure. If the melanoma was called Stage III because of an enlarged lymph node, that node should be removed. The radical removal of all draining lymph nodes at the site is highly controversial and cannot be routinely recommended.
Five-Year Survival 20 to 50 percent
Stage IV
Standard Treatment Systemic therapy using immunological or chemotherapy agents or regional therapy with radiation ( see "Treatment Overview" ).
Five-Year Survival Less than 10 percent
Eye Melanomas
Standard Treatment Small tumors are usually followed closely by direct observation by an ophthalmologist, who uses a slit lamp and ultrasound or CT scanning to chart the exact diameter and height of the lesions. If they become large, they can be treated in the same way as medium and large melanomas.
