After treatment, patients with Stage III melanoma should receive a physical examination, including a skin examination, and regular chest x-rays, serum LDH testing, and CT scans of the trunk, pelvis, and head. The following schedule is recommended:

• Year 1: every 3 months
• Year 2: every 4 months
• Years 3-5: every 6 months
• After year 5: every 12 months

With treatment, Stage III melanoma is considered intermediate- to high-risk for local recurrence or distant metastasis. Therefore, early detection of melanoma through skin self-examination and medical examination continues to be of the utmost importance.

Prognosis

Large-scale studies indicate the following probabilities of disease-free survival five years after treatment:

• Stage IIIA: 57-73%
• Stage IIIB: 41-57%
• Stage IIIC: 24-34%¹

See also If Melanoma Recurs.