Chemotherapy for advanced melanoma
What is chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to destroy cancer cells. It is not often used to treat melanoma. Your doctor may recommend having chemotherapy, if immunotherapy and targeted therapies are no longer working for you.
Chemotherapy may help control or slow the growth of advanced melanoma for a time. Your cancer doctor and specialist nurse will explain more about the possible benefits and side effects.
There are different chemotherapy drugs that may be used to treat advanced melanoma. They include:
- dacarbazine (DTIC)
- temozolomide
- carboplatin.
You may have only 1 drug, or a combination.
Having chemotherapy for advanced melanoma
Related pages
Side effects of chemotherapy
Chemotherapy drugs may cause unpleasant side effects. Side effects can usually be well controlled with medicines. They usually go away once treatment has finished. Your doctor and nurse will tell you about the likely side effects and how they can be managed.
We have more information about the side effects of chemotherapy.
Other ways of giving chemotherapy
Sometimes chemotherapy for melanoma is given in other ways.
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Electrochemotherapy
Electrochemotherapy uses chemotherapy and a small electrical current to destroy cancer cells. It may be used to treat some melanoma tumours of the skin to help control symptoms.
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Chemotherapy into an arm or leg
Chemotherapy can be given directly into a limb. This is called regional chemotherapy. It can be used to treat clusters of melanomas that have come back on the same limb.
About our information
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References
Below is a sample of the sources used in our advanced melanoma information. If you would like more information about the sources we use, please contact us at cancerinformationteam@macmillan.org.uk
Keilholz U, Ascierto PA, Dummer R, et al. ESMO consensus conference recommendations on the management of metastatic melanoma: under the auspices of the ESMO Guidelines Committee. Annals of Oncology. 2020. 31 (11): 1435-1448 [accessed May 2022].
Peach H, Board R, Cook M, et al. Current role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in the management of cutaneous melanoma: A UK consensus statement. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery. 2020; 73, 1, 36-42 [accessed May 2022].
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Reviewers
This information has been written, revised and edited by Macmillan Cancer Support’s Cancer Information Development team. It has been reviewed by expert medical and health professionals and people living with cancer. It has been approved by Senior Medical Editor, Dr Samra Turajlic, Consultant Medical Oncologist.
Our cancer information has been awarded the PIF TICK. Created by the Patient Information Forum, this quality mark shows we meet PIF’s 10 criteria for trustworthy health information.
The language we use
We want everyone affected by cancer to feel our information is written for them.
We want our information to be as clear as possible. To do this, we try to:
- use plain English
- explain medical words
- use short sentences
- use illustrations to explain text
- structure the information clearly
- make sure important points are clear.
We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected.
You can read more about how we produce our information here.
Date reviewed
Our cancer information meets the PIF TICK quality mark.
This means it is easy to use, up-to-date and based on the latest evidence. Learn more about how we produce our information.
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