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What is melanoma skin cancer?
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What is melanoma skin cancer? Symptoms. Causes. Tests and next steps. Treatment. Help and support. Main symptoms of melanoma skin cancer. A new mole or a change in an existing mole may be signs of melanoma. Melanomas can appear anywhere on your body, but they're more common in areas that are often exposed to the sun.
- Overview
- What are the symptoms?
- Types of melanoma
- Risk factors
- What are the stages of melanoma?
- What’s the treatment?
- What causes melanoma?
- How is it diagnosed?
- Melanoma survival rates
- Prevention tips
Melanoma is a specific kind of skin cancer. It begins in skin cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes produce melanin, the substance that gives your skin color.
Only about 1 percent of skin cancers are melanomas. Melanoma is also called malignant melanoma or cutaneous melanoma.
Early signs and symptoms of melanoma are:
•changes to an existing mole
•the development of a new, unusual growth on your skin
If melanoma cells are still making melanin, the tumors tend to be brown or black. Some melanomas don’t make melanin, so those tumors can be tan, pink, or white.
Clues that a mole might be melanoma are:
•irregular shape
The most common type of melanoma is superficial spreading melanoma. It tends to spread across the surface of the skin, has uneven borders, and varies in color from brown to black, pink, or red.
Nodular melanoma is another type that grows down into deeper layers of the skin and may appear as a raised bump or growth.
Lentigo maligna melanoma tends to appear on parts of the body that get more sun, especially the face, and it often affects older people. It looks like a large, uneven dark patch on the surface of the skin.
Metastatic melanoma occurs when the cancer spreads, or metastasizes, to other parts of the body, possibly including the lymph nodes, organs, or bones.
Other rare types of melanoma also exist, and while it most commonly affects the skin, some affect internal tissues, as well as the eyes.
Mucosal melanoma can develop in the mucous membranes that line the:
Ultraviolet light
It’s not entirely clear what causes melanoma, but exposure to the sun and other sources of ultraviolet light, like tanning beds, is a very important risk factor.
Race
The American Cancer Society states that the lifetime risk of developing melanoma is about: •2.6% for white people •0.1% for Black people •0.6% for Hispanic people Melanoma is reportedly 20 times more common in white people than Black people. Keep in mind that this data may be due to inequities in healthcare and other contributing factors. Besides skin with less pigment, having many moles may also be a risk factor.
Genetics/family history
If a parent or sibling has had melanoma in the past, you may have a higher chance of developing melanoma.
Stage 0
You have abnormal melanocytes, but only on the outermost layer of skin (epidermis). This is also called melanoma in situ.
Stage 1
•1A: You have a cancerous tumor, but it’s less than 1 millimeter (mm) thick. It has no ulceration. •1B: The tumor is less than 1 mm thick, but it has ulceration. Or, it’s between 1–2 mm thick with no ulceration.
Stage 2
•2A: The tumor is between 1–2 mm thick with ulceration. Or, it’s between 2–4 mm thick without ulceration. •2B: The tumor is between 2–4 mm and is ulcerated. Or it’s thicker than 4 mm without ulceration. •2C: The tumor is over 4 mm thick and is ulcerated.
Stage 0
Stage 0 melanoma only involves the top layer of skin. It’s possible to completely remove the suspicious tissue during a biopsy. If not, your surgeon can remove it, along with a border of normal skin. You may not need further treatment.
Stage 1 and 2
Very thin melanomas can be completely removed during biopsy. If not, they can be surgically removed later. This involves removing the cancer along with a margin of healthy skin and a layer of tissue underneath the skin. Early-stage melanoma doesn’t necessarily require additional treatment.
Stage 3 and 4
Stage 3 melanoma has spread away from the primary tumor or into nearby lymph nodes. Wide-excision surgery is used to remove the tumor and affected lymph nodes. In stage 4 melanoma, cancer has spread to distant sites. The skin tumors and some enlarged lymph nodes can be surgically removed. You can also have surgery to remove tumors on internal organs. But your surgical options depend on the number, size, and location of tumors. Stages 3 and 4 generally require some additional treatments, which may involve: •Immunotherapy drugs. These may include interferon or interleukin-2 or checkpoint inhibitors, such as ipilimumab (Yervoy), nivolumab (Opdivo), and pembrolizumab (Keytruda). •Targeted therapy for those cancers related to mutations in the BRAF gene. These may include cobimetinib (Cotellic), dabrafenib (Tafinlar), trametinib (Mekinist), and vemurafenib (Zelboraf). •Targeted therapy for melanoma related to mutations in the C-KIT gene. These may include imatinib (Gleevec) and nilotinib (Tasigna). •Vaccines. These may include Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and T-VEC (Imlygic). •Radiation therapy. This can be used to shrink tumors and to kill cancer cells that may have been missed during surgery. Radiation can also help relieve symptoms of cancer that has metastasized. •Isolated limb perfusion. This involves infusing only the affected arm or leg with a heated solution of chemotherapy. •Systemic chemotherapy. This may include dacarbazine (DTIC) and temozolomide (Temodar), which may be used to kill cancer cells throughout your body. Immunotherapy and targeted therapies haven’t been shown to cure melanoma, but they can increase life expectancy. Chemotherapy for melanoma can shrink tumors, but they can recur within a few months. Each type of therapy comes with its own set of side effects, some of which can be serious. It’s important to discuss these with your doctor so you can make an informed choice. Clinical trials can help you get innovative therapies not yet approved for general use. If you’re interested in a clinical trial, talk to your doctor.
Normally, healthy new skin cells nudge older skin cells toward the surface, where they die.
DNA damage within the melanocytes can cause new skin cells to grow out of control. As the skin cells build up, they form a tumor.
It’s not entirely clear why DNA in skin cells gets damaged. It may be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
The leading cause may be exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UV radiation can come from such sources as natural sunlight, tanning beds, and tanning lamps.
Physical examination
First, you’ll need a thorough examination of your skin. Most of us have between 10 and 40 moles as adults. A normal mole usually has a uniform color and a clear border. They can be round or oval, and are generally less than a quarter of an inch in diameter. A good skin examination will involve looking in less obvious places, such as: •between the buttocks •genitals •palms and under your fingernails •scalp •soles of your feet, between your toes, and under your toenails
Blood chemistry studies
Your doctor can check your blood for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Levels of this enzyme can be higher than normal when you have melanoma. LDH levels may not be checked for early stage disease.
Skin biopsy
A skin biopsy is the only way to confirm melanoma. For a biopsy, a sample of the skin is removed. If at all possible, the entire suspected area should be removed. Then, the tissue is sent to a lab for examination under a microscope. The pathology report will be sent to your doctor who will explain the results. If there’s a diagnosis of melanoma, it’s important to determine the stage. This will provide information on your overall outlook and help guide treatment. The first part of staging is to find out how thick the tumor is. This can be done by measuring the melanoma under a microscope.
It’s natural to want to research survival rates, but it’s important to understand that they’re generalizations. Your circumstances are unique to you, so speak to your doctor about your own prognosis.
Based on data from 2010 to 2016, the 5-year relative survival rates for melanoma of the skin in the United States are 92.7 percent overall, and:
•99% for localized melanoma
•66.3% for regional spread
•27.3% for distant metastasis
About 83 percent of the time, melanoma is diagnosed at the local stage.
While you can’t completely eliminate risk, here are a few ways to help prevent melanoma and other skin cancers from developing:
•Avoid exposing your skin to the midday sun whenever possible. Remember, the sun still affects your skin on cloudy days and in winter.
•Use sunscreen. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. Reapply every 2 hours or more often if you perspire a lot or go in the water. Do this regardless of the season.
•Cover up. When spending time outdoors, keep your arms and legs covered. Wear a broad-brimmed hat to protect your head, ears, and face.
•Wear sunglasses that protect from UVA and UVB rays.
•Don’t use tanning beds or tanning lamps.
explain the treatments, benefits and side effects. work with you to create a treatment plan that's best for you. discuss the chances of the melanoma coming back and how it will be treated if it does. You'll have regular check-ups during and after any treatments.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer. It develops from skin cells called melanocytes. There are 2 main types of skin cancer: Non melanoma skin cancer (which includes basal cell skin cancer, squamous cell skin cancer and other rare types) and melanoma skin cancer.
Melanoma, also called malignant melanoma, is a cancer that usually starts in the skin. It can start in a mole or in normal-looking skin. Melanoma develops from skin cells called melanocytes. These cells make melanin which gives our skin its colour.
Dec 30, 2023 · Melanoma, another type of skin cancer, comes from the pigment cells, called melanocytes. Melanoma happens when something changes healthy melanocytes into cancer cells. Melanocytes are skin cells that make pigment that gives skin its color.
Jul 3, 2024 · Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can spread to other organs in the body. The most common sign of melanoma is the appearance of a new mole or a change in an existing mole. This can happen anywhere on the body, but the back, legs, arms and face are most commonly affected.
