\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n \tRelated story \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tDolly Parton Opens Up on Moving Forward in New Health Update After Dollywood Cancellation\t\t<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n \t \n\tDoctors initially diagnosed Mellencamp with stage 2 melanoma<\/a>, the deadliest form of skin cancer<\/a>, in 2022. After she went through 17 different surgeries to treat it, she told fans in April 2025 that the disease had spread to her brain and lungs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt\u2019s been 76 days since I went to the ER with unbearable headaches and quickly found out I had multiple stage 4 tumors \u2018the size of plums\u2019 in my brain and lungs,\u201d she wrote in an April 28, 2025, Instagram post<\/a>. \u201cMelanoma had metastasized there and been there for \u20186 months to a year,\u2019 and we had no clue.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tShe had brain surgery to remove the tumors and has been on a strict immunotherapy regimen ever since.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tFor context, the American Cancer Society<\/a> classifies melanoma as stage 4 once it spreads past the skin to distant organs like the lungs or central nervous system. Due to the aggressive nature of the disease at this stage, doctors rely on treatments like immunotherapy to train the patient\u2019s own immune system to recognize and attack the cancer cells.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tMellencamp consistently gives her followers an unfiltered look at both the good and bad days.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tLast week, she documented a recent immunotherapy appointment via Instagram Stories, describing the session as her \u201cleast favorite day of the month\u201d while expressing gratitude for having the comforts she needs to endure it<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tShe also refuses to pretend everything is fine when the fear creeps in. Earlier this summer, Mellencamp opened up about the intense anxiety that hit her when doctors extended the wait time between her regular medical scans.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI just keep crying \u2026 no warning, just tears,\u201d she told her followers at the time. \u201cI just want to be positive<\/a>. I wanna be like those people that say they\u2019re positive all the time, but I\u2019m really scared.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBut if her recent throwback post is any indication, she\u2019s holding onto her sense of humor. She has nine months of treatment left on the calendar, and she\u2019s counting down the days until she can just make silly workout videos on the internet again.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Dolly](\"https:\/\/www.sheknows.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-sheknows-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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\n<\/section>\n<\/p>\n\n\t\tA Long Medical Road\u00a0\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tKeeping It Real About Cancer\u00a0\t<\/h2>\n