Melanoma and Related Cancers

Melanoma can be cured if is diagnosed early. Sylvester melanoma and cutaneous cancer specialists offer a complete range of services to diagnose and treat melanoma as well as other forms of cutaneous cancer. We focus on achieving the best possible quality of life for each patient, while providing the greatest chance of curing the cancer.

Sylvester’s physicians and scientists are involved in many important national, institutional, and laboratory studies to improve the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of melanoma and related cancers. Because of this expertise, we are able to offer some of our patients many of the newest and most advanced approaches to dealing with every aspect of the disease.

The most common symptoms of melanoma, in particular, include:

• Change in the size, shape, or color of a mole
• Oozing or bleeding from a mole
• A mole that feels itchy, hard, lumpy, swollen, or tender to the touch

Because most malignant melanoma cells still produce melanin, melanoma tumors are often shaded brown or black. Melanoma can also appear on the body as a new mole, and it can spread quickly to other parts of the body through the lymph system, or through the blood. Like most cancers, melanoma is best treated when it is diagnosed early.

Moles that are present at birth, as well as atypical moles, have a greater chance of becoming malignant. Recognizing changes in moles, by following the ABCD method (shown below), is crucial to detect melanoma at its earliest stage:

Normal Mole	Melanoma	Sign	Characteristic
		Asymmetry	When half of the mole does not match the other half
		Border	When the border or edges of the mole are ragged or irregular
		Color	When the color of the mole varies throughout
		Diameter	If the mole’s diameter is larger than a pencil’s eraser

Melanomas vary greatly in appearance. While some may show all of the ABCD characteristics, others may show changes in one or two characteristics only.

To determine if a suspicious area is melanoma , a doctor will perform a careful physical examination that includes personal and family history and questions about the marking on the skin.

The suspicious area, as well as the rest of the body is examined, and a biopsy (skin sample) will likely be taken. The biopsy procedure chosen depends on the site and size of the affected area.

There are several types of biopsies:

• An excisional (removal of the entire tumor) or incisional biopsy (removal of a portion of the tumor for examination)
• A fine needle aspiration biopsy (removal of very small pieces from a tumor using a thin needle); a punch biopsy (removal of a deeper sample of skin with an instrument that removes a short cylinder of tissue)
• A shave biopsy (removing top layers of skin by shaving)
• A skin biopsy (removing a sample of skin for examination under a microscope to determine if melanoma is present)

When melanoma is found, additional tests are performed to find out if the cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body. This process is called staging. The stages of melanoma range from Stage I (abnormal cells found only in the outer layer of skin) to Stage IV (the cancer has spread to other organs, or to lymph nodes far away from the original tumor).

Sources: Greystone.net, National Cancer Institute, and the Centers for Disease Control