How effective is immunotherapy for melanoma?

These medicines help immune cells recognise or attack melanoma. They may be used after surgery in selected situations or for melanoma that has spread, and the exact plan depends on scans, pathology, previous treatment, and overall health. Doctors assess response through examinations, imaging, symptoms, and sometimes blood tests. The cancer may shrink, remain stable, or change in a way that needs further assessment. A lack of immediate change does not provide a complete answer.

Attend scheduled infusions, scans, and laboratory checks, and keep a record of new symptoms. Tell the oncology team promptly about diarrhoea, rash, breathlessness, persistent cough, severe fatigue, abdominal pain, headaches, vision changes, or reduced urine. Immune treatment can inflame healthy organs, and early treatment of these effects may prevent them becoming more serious. See [Immunotherapy](/treatments/systemic-therapy/immunotherapy/) and [Melanoma](/conditions/melanoma/) for background.

Seek urgent medical advice for breathing difficulty, chest pain, confusion, severe weakness, persistent vomiting or diarrhoea, yellowing of the skin, a severe rash, or sudden vision changes. Do not wait for the next infusion if symptoms are new or rapidly worsening, and do not start steroid medicine or stop cancer treatment without oncology guidance.

Ask which stage and tumour features guide the recommendation, what benefit the team is seeking, how response will be measured, and how long treatment may continue. Ask which symptoms require a same-day call and what other options exist if the disease progresses.