Can you survive subungual melanoma?

The survival rates can get lower depending on how advanced the condition is when diagnosed and treated. If subungual melanoma is diagnosed at its final stage, or Stage IV, the survival rate is 15% to 20% at five years and 10% to 15% at 10 years.

Is nail melanoma curable?

While anyone can develop melanoma on their nails, it’s more common in older individuals and people with skin of color. A personal or family history of melanoma or previous nail trauma may also be risk factors. The good news is that when found early, melanoma — even on the nails — is highly treatable.

Which stages of melanoma have the best prognosis?

Melanoma can be treated most effectively in its early stages when it is still confined to the top layer of the skin (epidermis). The more deeply a melanoma grows into the lower layer of the skin (dermis), the greater the risk that it could spread to nearby lymph nodes or other organs.

Is subungual melanoma life threatening?

Subungual melanoma is rare, but it is deadly if left untreated. One of the biggest challenges with treating subungual melanoma is diagnosing it early and correctly.

How aggressive is subungual melanoma?

The key points to remember for subungual melanoma are: It has the same histopathological process as cutaneous malignant melanoma. Some studies suggest it is more aggressive than cutaneous malignant melanoma, but this is likely due to late presentation. It should be diagnosed using excision or an incision biopsy.

Is subungual melanoma slow growing?

Overall 5-year survival rates range from 20% to 50%. Therefore, early diagnosis is important and subungual melanoma should be considered for all slow-growing and non-healing subungual and periungual lesions, whether it is pigmented or not2,3,10.

How common is subungual melanoma?

Subungual melanoma or melanotic whitlow is a relatively rare disease with a reported incidence between 0.7% and 3.5% of all melanoma cases in the general population.

How long is life expectancy with melanoma?

5-year relative survival rates for melanoma skin cancer

SEER stage 5-year relative survival rate
Localized 99%
Regional 68%
Distant 30%
All SEER stages combined 93%

How long does melanoma take to spread?

Melanoma can grow very quickly. It can become life-threatening in as little as 6 weeks and, if untreated, it can spread to other parts of the body. Melanoma can appear on skin not normally exposed to the sun. Nodular melanoma is a highly dangerous form of melanoma that looks different from common melanomas.