Melanoma treatment in Istanbul, Turkey
Melanoma is treated in Istanbul with the same core options the U.S. National Cancer Institute describes — surgery to remove the tumor with a margin, a sentinel lymph node biopsy to check for spread, and immunotherapy or BRAF-targeted therapy for advanced or high-risk disease — usually well below Western-European prices. OncologyIstanbul™ isn’t a hospital: we give you a free 72-hour review of your own reports and hand you the tools to verify any hospital yourself before you decide anything.
Cross-section of the skin — the epidermis, dermis and subcutis, with hair follicles, glands, nerves and blood vessels.
SEER Training Modules, U.S. National Cancer Institute — public domain (opens in a new tab) ↗What melanoma is
Melanoma is a cancer that begins in melanocytes, the cells that make pigment. It is the most serious form of skin cancer because it is more likely to spread than the common basal- and squamous-cell skin cancers, and it can also arise in the eye (uveal) or on mucosal surfaces. The U.S. National Cancer Institute notes that diagnosis is made by a skin examination and a biopsy (shave, punch, incisional or excisional), then staged with the TNM systembased on the tumor’s thickness (Breslow depth), ulceration, lymph node involvement and any spread. For the primary-source description, see the NCI’s skin cancer overview (opens in a new tab).
Treatment options
These are the modalities the NCI lists for melanoma. Which apply to you depends heavily on stage and, for the drug therapies, on molecular testing — and it is a decision for the treating team.
- Wide local excision. Surgery to remove the melanoma with a margin of normal-looking skin around it — the primary treatment for localized disease, sometimes with a skin graft to close the wound.
- Sentinel lymph node biopsy. Identifies and checks the first lymph node the melanoma would drain to, to see whether it has spread and whether more node surgery is needed.
- Lymph node dissection. Removal of a group of lymph nodes when melanoma is found to have spread to them.
- Immunotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (and, historically, interleukin-2) are used both after surgery for high-risk disease and to treat advanced melanoma.
- Targeted therapy for BRAF-mutated melanoma. When testing shows a BRAF gene change, BRAF- and MEK-inhibitor drug pairs are used — which is why molecular testing matters for advanced disease.
- Chemotherapy. Anticancer drugs given by mouth, vein or regionally; a smaller role in melanoma today than immunotherapy and targeted therapy.
- Radiation therapy. Used for certain lymph-node or metastatic situations and to relieve symptoms.
Full detail is in the NCI’s Melanoma Treatment (PDQ) (opens in a new tab). See also the treatments & technology hub.
What it costs
There is no single price for melanoma, and we won’t invent one. The cost is driven by the specifics of yourstage: a thin, early melanoma may need only a wide local excision as a day procedure, while higher-risk disease can involve sentinel node biopsy, molecular (BRAF) testing, and many months of immunotherapy or targeted-therapy drugs — and those drugs, not the surgery, usually dominate the total. Every price we publish today is an illustrative placeholder pending verified partner-hospital quotes, and each figure is itemized so you can hold a real quote up against it, line by line. See the Turkey Oncology Price Index or the full cancer treatment cost in Turkey breakdown. You pay the hospital directly, only after you approve an itemized written quote — never us.
The hospital, verified
We don’t show you a “top” melanoma-clinic ranking or a wall of smiling doctors — those are the easiest things to fabricate. Instead, you’re matched to one state-authorized Istanbul partner hospital whose surgical- and medical-oncology subspecialty fits your diagnosis, and you can verify its authorization against the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health’s own records and its JCI accreditation in JCI’s public directory before you commit. Named specialist profiles appear only when a verified, consented physician is behind the name. See the full guide to cancer hospitals in Istanbul and how to check one yourself.
Related cancers
Check everything here — us included
Common questions
Can melanoma be treated in Turkey?
Yes. Istanbul hospitals treat melanoma with the same modalities the U.S. National Cancer Institute describes — wide local excision of the primary, sentinel lymph node biopsy to check for spread, and immunotherapy or BRAF/MEK-targeted therapy for advanced or high-risk disease. OncologyIstanbul™ is not a hospital: we organize and verify your reports into a case file, then — if you want to travel — match you to a state-authorized partner hospital by surgical- and medical-oncology fit. The clinical plan is set by the treating team, not by us.
How much does melanoma treatment cost in Istanbul?
It depends almost entirely on stage. A thin, early melanoma may need only a wide local excision as a day procedure, whereas higher-risk disease can involve sentinel node biopsy, molecular (BRAF) testing and many months of immunotherapy or targeted-therapy drugs, which usually dominate the total. Istanbul is typically well below Western-European prices for the same surgery, but every figure OncologyIstanbul™ publishes today is an illustrative placeholder pending verified partner-hospital quotes, itemized so you can check any real quote line by line. See the Turkey Oncology Price Index and the cancer-treatment-cost breakdown.
Do I need BRAF testing before melanoma treatment?
For localized melanoma removed by surgery, molecular testing may not change the plan. For advanced or high-risk melanoma, the NCI notes that BRAF gene testing determines whether BRAF/MEK-targeted therapy is an option, alongside immunotherapy. Whether testing is needed and which drug pathway fits is decided by your treating oncologist after reviewing your pathology — it is not something to promise in advance, and we don't diagnose or prescribe.
What is the success or survival rate for melanoma?
There is no single honest number. Melanoma outcomes depend heavily on the stage — especially the tumor's thickness (Breslow depth), ulceration, and whether it has reached lymph nodes or spread — as well as your overall health. They are individual, not a marketing statistic. Any provider quoting you a blanket 'success rate' as a selling point is overpromising. We give you an organized case file and published price references so you and your own doctor can weigh a real plan; we never predict your result.
This page is part of the wider guide to cancer treatment in Istanbul, Turkey. When you’re ready, the free second opinion organizes your reports into a verified case file in your language.
Start with a free 72-hour case review
Send your biopsy pathology and imaging. Get a verified case file in your language — free, confidential, no obligation.
This page is general information, not medical advice. Every cancer case is individual; assessments are based on the reports you provide and do not replace in-person examination or the judgment of your treating team.