Lesion resembling keratosis

Dermoscopy reveals melanoma

Lesion resembling keratosis

Dermoscopy reveals melanoma

Raised mole which bleeds

Dermoscopy shows thick melanoma

A dark mole

Dermoscopy reveals melanoma

A back with moles

Dermoscopy reveals melanoma

Melanoma can occur in pre-existing moles

A freckle noticed on a Full Body Mole Check

Biopsy proved this to be a melanoma

Sometimes melanoma does not have colour - amelanotic melanoma

Melanoma

Melanoma Skin Cancer

Melanoma usually shows up as a new spot or freckle that changes and becomes larger, more irregular and darker. It is essential that new, changing or unusual moles and spots are checked to exclude malignant melanoma.

If detected early, melanoma skin cancer is cured simply by surgery. However, if left it can spread to other parts of the body and cause death.

Melanoma is a cancer of melanocytes or the colour cells of the skin. There are both genetic and environmental pathways for melanoma to develop, with intermittent UV exposure being the most important factor.

Listed are some of the major risk factors for developing melanoma:

• Having many moles and many unusual ‘atypical or dysplastic’ moles
• Having multiple freckles
• Skin that burns easily and tans poorly in the sun
• A past history of melanoma in the family
• Having melanoma diagnosed in the past
• Sun exposure and sunburn especially as a child.

A good check list for diagnosing melanoma is the ABCDE rule.

• A = Asymmetry, where a line forming a mirror image cannot be drawn
• B = Border, where the margins are irregular
• C = Colours, having more than 2 different colours, not necessarily including black
• D = Diameter of 6mm or more
• E = Evolution, where a mole is new or changing, becoming larger, more irregular, darker, perhaps feeling different or developing a blister.

A proportion of melanomas have only a single colour and appear as a symmetrical nodule or scar, making them particularly difficult to diagnose. Nodular or desmoplastic melanomas can behave like this. Other things to remember are that melanoma can develop even on non-sun exposed areas of skin, including nails (subungual melanoma), palms of hands and soles of feet (acral lentiginous melanoma), scalp and groin. Beware of advice that tells you flat spots are freckles and moles are elevated because melanoma can be flat, and NEVER wait until a lesion bleeds before having it examined.

Treatment often starts with a first step of taking an excision or a biopsy so that tissue can be sent to the laboratory for testing. It is not advisable to have lesions treated by liquid nitrogen if there is a possibility that it could be melanoma. At Skinsite we believe it is essential to use dermoscopy so that melanoma features can be detected earlier and treatment started sooner.

Also see Prevention.