Melanoma is considered the deadliest of all skin cancers.  Now the FDA has approved an immunotherapy treatment that could help extend lives.

The single-dose immunotherapy is currently approved for people with advanced Stage 4 melanoma who have not had success with other treatments, according to Dr. Thach-Giao Truongo, with Cleveland Clinic.

“This is the first-of-its-kind personalized immunotherapy for patients with melanoma who’ve progressed on prior therapies. It is very unique because it’s a treatment that’s made directly from patients’ own tumors,” said the doctor.

The survival rate for melanoma since the advent of immunotherapy now stands at five years, the doctor said. More than half of people remain alive with Stage 4 disease.

Get moles or other spots on your skin checked if you notice they have an irregular border or uneven color.