What is melanoma, and is it cancer?
Melanoma is the most dangerous and deadliest form of skin cancer. It begins in cells called melanocytes, which produce the pigment that gives skin its color. In comparison with other types of skin cancer, melanoma occurs less commonly but is considered more serious. It can quickly spread throughout the body if melanoma treatment isn’t started early.
Your doctor or dermatologist should evaluate any change in an existing mole. You also need to frequently examine your skin for these melanoma symptoms:
- An asymmetrical mole
- A mole with an irregular border
- A mole that changes color
- A mole larger than a pencil eraser
FAQ
You should evaluate existing moles and check your skin regularly for the "ABCDE" melanoma warning signs:
Asymmetry: One half of the mole does not match the other.
Border: The edges are irregular, ragged, or blurred.
Color: The color is uneven and may include shades of brown, black, pink, red, white, or blue.
Diameter: The spot is larger than a pencil eraser (though some melanomas can be smaller).
Evolving: Any change in size, shape, color, or new symptoms like itching or bleeding.
Superficial Spreading Melanoma: The most common form; usually appears as a flat or slightly raised spot with irregular borders and varied colors.
Nodular Melanoma: One of the most aggressive types; grows rapidly into deeper skin layers and presents as a firm, raised bump (often black, blue, red, or pink).
Lentigo Maligna: Typically affects older adults on sun-damaged areas like the face, ears, or arms as a flat or slightly raised blotchy patch.
Acral Lentiginous Melanoma: The most common melanoma in dark-skinned individuals (including African-American and Asian populations); appears under fingernails/toenails or on the palms and soles of the feet.
Melanoma is categorized into five main stages (0 through IV) based on depth and spread:
Stage 0 & I: Early stages where cancer is confined to the upper layers of skin; highly treatable with simple surgical removal.
Stage II: Intermediate stage where the tumor has grown deeper into the skin (typically thicker than 1 mm) but has not yet spread.
Stage III: Advanced stage where the melanoma has spread to nearby lymph nodes.
Stage IV: Advanced stage where cancer cells have metastasized to distant organs or tissues, such as the lungs, liver, brain, bone, or GI tract.
Treatment depends on the cancer's stage and location:
Surgical Excision & Mohs Surgery: Primary treatment for early-stage melanoma to remove the tumor along with a margin of healthy tissue.
Lymph Node Removal: Performed if cancer has spread into the lymphatic system.
Immunotherapy: Treatments that boost the body's immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells.
Targeted Therapy: Medications that specifically target molecular weaknesses in cancer cells, often offering fewer severe side effects than traditional chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy & Radiation Therapy: Used to destroy cancer cells, treat systemic spread, or reduce the risk of local recurrence.
Are there different types of melanoma?
Melanoma has four different types:
Lentigo maligna: This type of melanoma usually affects older people who have sun-damaged skin. It commonly develops on the face, ears, upper torso, and arms. Lentigo maligna presents as a blotchy patch that has uneven borders. The patch can be flat or slightly raised with colors that are usually blue, black, tan, or dark brown.
Acral lentiginous melanoma: The most common type of melanoma affecting African-Americans and Asians, acral lentiginous melanoma typically appears as a brown or black discoloration on the palms of the hands or bottom of the feet. It can also be found under the fingernails and toenails.
Nodular melanoma: Nodular melanoma is one of the most aggressive types of skin cancer, growing rapidly and affecting deeper layers of skin. For this reason, it’s often diagnosed at a later stage. The main sign of nodular melanoma is a bump that feels firm to the touch and is raised above the surface of the skin. The bump usually appears as black or blue, but it can also be red or pink in color.
Superficial spreading melanoma: This is the most common type of melanoma and usually shows up as an asymmetrical spot with irregular borders that appears flat or slightly raised. Color variations can range from black, white, brown, tan, pink, red, or blue. While it can form on most areas of the body, superficial spreading melanoma commonly appears on the upper back of men and women, on the legs in women, and on the torso in men.
What are some causes and risk factors of melanoma?
Melanoma develops as a result of damaged DNA in melanocytes, which leads to the uncontrolled growth of skin cells. One of the primary causes of damage to the DNA in skin cells is excessive exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet light. Over time, this damage can cause mutations that may lead to skin cancer.
In addition to frequent sun exposure, other melanoma causes and risk factors are associated with its development:
- Frequent sunburns?
- Family history of melanoma
- Fair skin, including people who have light eyes and light- or red-colored hair
- Frequent tanning bed use
- Living at a high elevation or close to the equator
What are some treatment options for melanoma?
Many treatment options for melanoma are available, but the treatment you receive depends on the type of melanoma you have and the stage of the disease. Surgery to remove the melanoma is the most common treatment for early stages of the disease. Mohs surgery, in which skin cancer is removed layer by layer, may also be a treatment option for some patients with melanoma.
Surgery is also an option for advanced stages of the disease. Deeper excisions of the tumor or removal of the lymph nodes may be needed for advanced melanoma. If melanoma has spread to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body, immunotherapy can be a treatment option. Immunotherapy triggers the immune system’s ability to attack cancer cells.
Chemotherapy is another treatment option used to destroy melanoma cancer cells. Radiation therapy kills cancer cells with high-energy X-ray beams, and it’s also used to reduce the chance of recurrence after melanoma has been removed. With targeted therapy, drugs and other medications target the specific weaknesses found in cancer cells. This is a newer form of treatment that has less severe side effects in comparison to chemotherapy.
If you’re worried about possible melanoma, schedule a comprehensive skin evaluation immediately with one of our expert dermatologists. We look forward to serving you!
What are the stages of melanoma?
After your doctor or dermatologist makes a diagnosis of melanoma, the next step is to determine its stage and severity level. Melanoma stages range from 0 to IV. Stages 0 and I are the most easily treated because the melanoma hasn’t penetrated into the deeper layers of skin.
Stage II melanoma is considered intermediate, and the tumors are usually deeper than 1 mm. Stage III melanoma is an advanced stage in which the tumor has spread to the lymph nodes. Once melanoma reaches stage IV, it has spread to other parts of the body, most often the GI tract, brain, lungs, liver, and bone.
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