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Treatment of Stage III Melanoma That Cannot Be Removed By Surgery, Stage IV Melanoma, and Recurrent Melanoma
Source: Melanoma Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: May 16, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.
Treatment of stage III melanoma that cannot be removed by surgery, stage IV melanoma, and recurrent melanoma may include:
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immunotherapy with pembrolizumab, nivolumab, ipilimumab, interleukin-2 (IL-2), nivolumab and relatimab, or atezolizumab, given alone or in combination
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targeted therapy with dabrafenib, trametinib, vemurafenib, cobimetinib, encorafenib, binimetinib, given alone or in combination
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oncolytic virus therapy (talimogene laherparepvec) injected into the tumor
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palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life:
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palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life:
chemotherapy
palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life:
surgery to remove lymph nodes or tumors in the lung, digestive tract, bone, or brain
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palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life:
radiation therapy to the brain, spinal cord, or bone
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Learn more about these treatments in the Treatment Option Overview.
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Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.
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Preserved source evidence · Independent clinical review pending · Not medical advice