Making the Decision to Have Chemotherapy for Melanoma

The advantage of chemotherapy is that it is systemic, meaning it travels throughout your body. It can reach cancer cells that have spread beyond the tumor. Chemotherapy may be a good option if one of these statements is true.

• You have cancer in one area and need treatment mainly in that area.  In this case, you have regional chemotherapy. It is called isolated limb perfusion if the chemotherapy drugs are sent just to the affected arm or leg.

• You have stage III or IV melanoma. In this case, your cancer has spread too far to be removed by surgery. You may get chemotherapy in combination with immunotherapy.