Reality star and podcaster Teddi Mellencamp, 43, has been fighting for her life after the spread of a deadly form of skin cancer — and on Wednesday, she revealed some optimistic news.
Mellencamp, daughter of singer John Mellencamp and former cast member of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," has spoken openly about the trajectory of her stage 4 melanoma.
"What we have to remember is that my cancer was skin cancer. The last time we spoke here was, like, I had skin cancer, melanoma, on my back," the mother of three shared during a recent interview with Extra.
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"This metastasized, which is still a form of melanoma, but into my brain, into my lungs."
Mellencamp has undergone surgery to remove four brain tumors, but an additional five tumors are still intact. She is also receiving ongoing immunotherapy and radiation treatments, she has shared on her podcast, "Two Ts In A Pod."
Mellencamp revealed in another interview with Nightline that doctors have given her a 50/50 chance of survival.
"50/50? I wouldn’t buy a car that’s only gonna drive 50 percent of the time. I don’t want this," she joked. "And he’s like, ‘No, it’s only because that’s how long immunotherapy has been around, so that’s how long the study has worked.’ So that’s when I try to then find the positive."
On Wednesday, Mellencamp revealed in an Instagram post that her latest scan shows that all metastasized tumors in her brain and lungs have "shrunk or disappeared."
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"My tumors have significantly shrunk, which doctors believe means that this all will work and that I will be back to myself," she said in the video.
"I’m feeling good," Mellencamp went on. "I have two more sessions of immunotherapy, and then hopefully I am done and I will be cancer-free. I’m going to keep a positive outlook, because that’s how my doctor just spoke to me — he said, ‘You did this. You got this.’"
Fox News Digital reached out to Mellencamp for comment.
The incidence rate of metastatic melanoma is 0.9 per 100,000 people, per data from the National Cancer Institute.
"Melanoma has a significantly higher chance of spreading than basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, the most common types of skin cancer," said Marcus Monroe, MD, an associate professor in the Division of Otolaryngology at the University of Utah School of Medicine, in an interview with Fox News Digital.
The chances of melanoma spreading to other locations increases with each stage of cancer.
"For the earliest stage, this risk is estimated at less than 5%, increasing for patients with stage 2 disease to a wider range, from 5% at the low end up to 40% to 50% for the most advanced stage 2 patients," said Monroe.
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In stage 3 patients (those with regional spread either via in-transit metastases or to adjacent lymph nodes), up to 30% to 40% will develop distant metastases, with a 16% to 17% risk of brain metastases, the doctor added.
The brain and lungs are the most common sites of metastasis for melanoma, experts confirmed.
If the patient has lesions that are deep in the skin or involve the lymph nodes, the chance of melanoma spreading is higher — anywhere from 20% to 70%, according to Jose Lutzky, MD, director of cutaneous oncology services at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in South Florida.
Metastatic melanoma was once considered mostly treatment-resistant because it did not respond to traditional chemotherapy and radiation, noted Dr. Joshua Strauss from Advanced Care Oncology and Hematology Associates of the Atlantic Medical Group in Morristown, New Jersey.
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"Nowadays, using targeted therapies and immunotherapy survival has been dramatically improved, and there is a possibility of long-term remission with treatment," Strauss told Fox News Digital.
Lutzky noted that melanoma is almost always curable by surgical removal when it’s detected early.
"Because of advances in the treatment of melanoma over the last 10 to 15 years, even very advanced melanoma can be cured in up to 50% of cases with modern immunotherapy treatment," he told Fox News Digital.
"More recently, cell therapy has been approved to treat those advanced melanomas that do not respond to immunotherapy."
To prevent melanoma, it’s important to reduce exposure to ultraviolet radiation, especially in people with lightly pigmented skin, Strauss advised.
"Sunscreen and sun-protective clothing are critical," he said.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends applying water-resistant sunscreen with broad-spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays, and SPF 30 or higher, before sun exposure.
"Indoor tanning bed use should be avoided because it is known to be associated with increased melanoma risk," Strauss added.
High-risk individuals should also have yearly skin checks with a dermatologist.
"This includes individuals with a personal history of skin cancer, family history of melanoma, people who take medications that suppress the immune system, and people who are highly sun-sensitive, such as those with red or blond hair, light skin pigmentation, significant freckling and light eye color," the oncologist said.
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Strauss uses the acronym ABCDE to differentiate between a normal mole and a melanoma.
"Moles with Asymmetry, irregular Borders, multiple Colors, Diameter larger than a pencil eraser, and Evolving or changing characteristics require further evaluation," he said.
The doctors who spoke to Fox News Digital — none of whom have treated Mellencamp — shared their sentiments about the television personality’s cancer battle.
"Teddi’s situation is quite serious, but there is cause for hope and optimism with the new treatments we now have available for melanoma," Strauss said.
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Monroe added, "Our thoughts go out to Teddi and we wish her the very best as she faces this challenge."
"Her courage in sharing her story and raising awareness of melanoma may just make the difference in someone else receiving lifesaving care."
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