OBJECTIVES: We conducted this study to document the health care resource utilisation associated with treatment of patients with advanced melanoma. METHODS: MELODY (Melanoma treatment patterns and outcomes among patients with unresectable stage III or stage IV disease: a retrospective longitudinal survey) is an observational study managed at 31 centres in France, Italy and the UK. Eligible patients had attended at one of the sites with a diagnosis of unresectable Stage III or IV melanoma between July 1, 2005 and June 30, 2006; data were retrieved from diagnosis (no limit date) until 2008. The primary objective was to document the first-line treatments received by patients. Secondary objectives included ascertaining healthcare resource utilisation related to up to 3 lines of treatment (anticancer and supportive care). Data were collected from patients (n=776) using a case-report form that included information on hospitalisations, outpatient visits, hospice care and adverse-event management (transfusions and concomitant medications including antiemetics and growth factors). Resource use data were collected from patients (n=606) that received systemic treatment outside a clinical trial and/or supportive care. RESULTS: Twenty-nine percent (176/606) of patients required medical management for treatment-related adverse events and 32% (195/606) were hospitalised while receiving systemic treatment and/or supportive care with 25% of these having at least 4 hospitalisations. The median duration of hospitalisation was 17 days, with 25% spending at least 29 days in hospital (may comprise multiple stays). The hospitalisation rate was higher in patients receiving supportive care than those receiving anticancer treatment (86/170; 51% vs. 140/553; 25%), but median duration of hospitalisation was similar (15.0 vs. 14.5 days). Results by line of anticancer therapy and supportive care will be presented. CONCLUSIONS: These results from MELODY suggest that the systemic and palliative treatments used to manage advanced melanoma are associated with considerable resource utilisation, highlighting the need for more effective treatment options.