Learn about what to expect after melanoma treatment and how to manage both emotional and physical changes during recovery.
Learn more about:
- Overview
- Follow-up appointments
- Dealing with feelings of sadness
- Looking after yourself
- What if melanoma returns?
- Protecting your skin from the sun
- Understanding sun protection
- Sun exposure and vitamin D
Overview
If you had early melanoma, your main concern after treatment may be how to protect your skin and watch for any new melanomas. If you had a high-risk or advanced melanoma, you may find that the cancer experience doesn’t end on the last day of treatment.
You may have mixed feelings, and worry that every ache and pain means the melanoma is coming back. Some people say that they feel pressure to return to “normal life”. It is important to allow yourself time to adjust to the physical and emotional changes. Your family and friends may also need time to adjust.
Cancer Council 13 11 20 can help you connect with other people who have had melanoma, and provide you with information about the emotional and practical aspects of living well after cancer.
Learn more about living well after cancer.
Follow-up appointments
After you have had one melanoma, you have about 5 times the risk of developing a new melanoma compared with the average person of the same age. It is important to regularly check your skin for any changes, go to your follow-up appointments and take extra care with sun protection. People with advanced melanoma will probably have more frequent follow-up appointments.
At your appointments, your doctor will check the treated area and your lymph nodes. Your doctor will also check the rest of your skin for any new melanomas. You may need to have CT scans or PET–CT scans before follow-up appointments.
You may feel anxious before a follow-up appointment or test. Talk to your treatment team or call Cancer Council 13 11 20 if you are finding it hard to manage this anxiety. Between follow-up appointments, let your doctor know immediately of any symptoms or health problems.
Dealing with feelings of sadness
If you have continued feelings of sadness, have trouble getting up in the morning or have lost motivation to do things that previously gave you pleasure, you may be experiencing depression. This is quite common among people who have had cancer. Talk to your GP, because counselling or medication – even for a short time – may help.
Some people can get a Medicare rebate for sessions with a psychologist. Cancer Council may also run a counselling program in your area.
For information about coping with depression and anxiety, call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36. For 24-hour crisis support, call Lifeline 13 11 14.
The Thing About Cancer podcast
Listen to our podcast The Thing About Cancer for information and insights that can help you navigate through the challenges of living with cancer.
Looking after yourself
Cancer can cause physical and emotional strain, so it’s important to look after your wellbeing. Cancer Council has free booklets and programs to help you during and after treatment.
Call 13 11 20 to find out more, or see Managing cancer side effects, Exercise after a cancer diagnosis, Complementary therapies, Emotions and cancer, Nutrition and cancer, Sexuality, intimacy and cancer, Fertility and cancer, and Living well after cancer.
Alternative therapies are therapies used instead of conventional medical treatments. These are unlikely to be scientifically tested, may prevent successful treatment of the cancer and can be harmful. Cancer Council does not recommend the use of alternative therapies as a cancer treatment.
→ READ MORE: Protecting your skin
What if the melanoma returns?
For people with early melanoma, it will usually not come back (recur) after treatment, although they do have a higher risk of developing a new melanoma. The risk of the treated melanoma returning is higher for people with regional melanoma (stage 3).
Recurrence can occur:
- at the site where the melanoma was removed
- in the lymph nodes
- in other parts of the body, such as the lung, liver or brain.
If the melanoma returns, your doctor will discuss the treatment options with you. These will depend on where the melanoma is, as well as the number of sites, its extent and your general health. You may be offered immunotherapy, targeted therapy or the option to join a clinical trial.
Watch this video to see why eating well is so important after a cancer diagnosis, and what you can do to maintain a healthy diet.
Research shows that exercise benefits people with cancer during and after treatment. Find out more in this video or see our other exercise videos.
More resources
A/Prof Rachel Roberts-Thomson, Medical Oncologist, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, SA; A/Prof Robyn Saw, Surgical Oncologist, Melanoma Institute Australia, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and The University of Sydney, NSW; Alison Button-Sloan, Consumer; Dr Marcus Cheng, Radiation Oncologist Registrar, Alfred Health, VIC; Prof Anne Cust, Deputy Director, The Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW, Chair, National Skin Cancer Committee, Cancer Council, and faculty member, Melanoma Institute Australia; Prof David Gyorki, Surgical Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Dr Rhonda Harvey, Mohs Surgeon, Dermatologist, Green Square Dermatology, The Skin Hospital, Darlinghurst and Sydney Melanoma Diagnostic Centre, RPA, NSW; David Hoffman, Consumer; A/Prof Jeremy Hudson, Southern Cross University, James Cook University, Chair of Dermatology RACGP, Clinical Director, North Queensland Skin Cancer, QLD; Dr Damien Kee, Medical Oncologist, Austin Health and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Clinical Research Fellow, Walter & Eliza Hall Institute, VIC; Angelica Miller, Melanoma Community Support Nurse, Melanoma Institute Australia, WA; Romy Pham, 13 11 20 Consultant, QLD; A/Prof Sasha Senthi, Radiation Oncologist, Alfred Health, and Clinical Research Fellow, Victorian Cancer Agency, VIC; Dr Chistoph Sinz, Dermatologist, Melanoma Institute Australia, NSW; Dr Amelia Smit, Research Fellow, Melanoma and Skin Cancer, The Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW; Nicole Taylor, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre, Westmead Hospital, NSW.
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