What is the life expectancy of a person who has melanoma?

Ninety-seven percent of patients with stage 1A melanoma live for at least five years, and 92 percent survive for 10 years, according to the American Cancer Society. However, only 15 to 20 percent of stage 4 patients survive for five years, and 10 to 15 percent survive for 10 years.

Between these two extremes, patients with stage 1B melanoma have a five-year survival rate of 92 percent, notes the American Cancer Society. Stage 2A melanoma patients have a five-year survival rate of around 81 percent, which drops to 53 percent when they reach stage 2C. The five-year survival rate is about 78 percent for patients with stage 3A melanoma, 59 percent for those with stage 3B and 40 percent for stage 3C melanoma.