Melanomais a cancer of the skin’s pigment-producing cells known as the melanocytes.
While it is not as common as other forms of skin cancer, it is the most dangerous.
It can spread quickly to other organs if not detected early enough.
Callista Images / Getty Images
Early treatment is essential.
Callista Images / Getty Images
What Is a Melanoma Mole?
It’s not uncommon to have normalmoles, also known asnevi(singularnevus), on the skin.
DermNet / CC BY-NC-ND
Having a lot of moles or larger-than-average moles puts you at a higher risk of developing melanoma.
The more quickly it’s possible for you to remove melanoma, the better.
Melanoma can develop anywhere, evenunder a fingernailor in the eye.
https://dermnetnz.org/topics/nodular-melanoma-images/?stage=Live
In women, the cancer is most often found on the lower legs or back.
In men, it is usually detected on the back, head, or neck.
The second considers the thickness of the melanoma, known as the Breslow measurement.
The thinner the melanoma, the better your chances are that hasn’t spread.
Tumors that are less than 1 mm thick are least likely to spread.
But as tumors get thicker, their chances of spreading increase.
The condition of the skin on top of the melanoma also makes a difference.
The prognosis is not as good if it is ulcerated and no longer intact.
It’s also important to determine if the cancer has spread and, if so, how far.
Immunotherapy is usually reserved for more advanced or late-stage melanoma.
Each case of melanoma is assessed for characteristics these drugs can target (such as gene mutations).
Radiation therapy is sometimes given after surgery to destroy any remaining cells.
Or, it may be given together with immunotherapy to improve outcomes.
This is known asstereotactic radiosurgery, an approach that has low side effects.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapydrugs are taken orally, injected, or infused into the bloodstream to kill melanoma cells.
It involves surgically removing metastases (tumors that have spread from the primary tumor to distant areas).
This may provide substantial disease control in some patients.
The ACS also suggests reducing or eliminating alcohol.
Whats the Outlook for People With Melanoma?
With cancer such as melanoma, how far it has spread plays a role.
But how you do will depend on your individual circumstances.
But if it is caught early, while still confined to the skin, it is highly curable.
Surgery, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy may be used, sometimes in combination.
Prevention focuses on avoiding sun and ultraviolet light exposure and monitoring the skin for suspicious moles.
American Cancer Society.What is melanoma skin cancer?
National Cancer Institute.Cancer stats facts: melanoma of the skin.
Skin Cancer Foundation.Melanoma risk factors.
National Cancer Institute.Common moles, dysplastic nevi, and risk of melanoma.
American Cancer Society.Melanoma skin cancer stages.
NHS.Treatment melanoma skin cancer.
2017;18(7):451-469. doi:10.1080/15384047.2017.1323596
Penn Medicine.Immunotherapy for melanoma.
Penn Medicine.Targeted treatment for melanoma.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Radiation therapy for melanoma.
American Cancer Society.Chemotherapy for melanoma skin cancer.
2020;122(3):555-561. doi:10.1002/jso.25987
University of California, San Francisco.Lymphadenectomy.
American Cancer Society.Can melanoma skin cancer be prevented?
2021;13(11):4018. doi:10.3390/nu13114018
American Cancer Society.American Cancer Society guideline for diet and physical activity.
