Health Care > Melanoma? is it?Related Photo
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for about 6 years ive had a raised mole on my leg. it doesnt hurts, or change in size. what it is?
Topic Overview
What is melanoma?
Melanoma is a form of Skin Cancer that starts in the pigment-producing Skin cells called melanocytes. These cells become abnormal, grow uncontrollably, and aggressively invade surrounding tissues.
Although Melanoma is less common than other types of skin cancer, it is the most serious. Fortunately, melanoma may be cured if caught and treated in its early stages when it affects only the skin. In more advanced stages, it may spread, or metastasize, through the Blood or lymph system to other organs and bones, making cure less likely.
What causes melanoma?
Melanoma often is caused by too much sun exposure. Damage to the genetic material (DNA) of melanocytes from sun exposure and UV light radiation is a major cause of melanoma. 1
Melanoma can also be caused by other factors, including a family history of melanoma and the presence of abnormal, or atypical, moles. Although atypical Moles are not cancerous, their presence is a sign of an inherited tendency to develop melanoma.
What are the symptoms?
The most important sign of melanoma is a change in a mole or other skin growth, such as a birthmark. Any change in the shape, size, or color of a mole may indicate melanoma. Melanoma usually looks like a flat, brown or black mole that has irregular, uneven borders, and is not symmetrical. Melanoma skin growths may be 6 mm (0.2 in.) or larger. A melanoma may be lumpy or rounded, change color, become crusty, ooze, or bleed.
Melanoma can develop in an existing mole or other mark on the skin, but it often develops in unmarked skin. Although melanoma can grow anywhere on the body, it frequently occurs on the upper back of men and Women and on the legs in women. Less commonly, it can develop under the nails or on the soles of the feet, the palms of the hands, or the mucous membranes that line body cavities such as the mouth, the rectum, and the vagina. 1
How is melanoma diagnosed?
Your health professional will examine your skin to look for melanoma. If he or she suspects melanoma, a biopsy of the affected skin is needed to make a diagnosis. For this, your health professional will remove a sample of tissue, and a pathologist will examine it under a microscope to check for cancer cells.
If the biopsy shows melanoma, more testing (such as a sentinel lymph node biopsy) may be necessary to determine whether the melanoma has spread to the lymph nodes.
How is it treated?
Melanomas detected at an early stage have the best chance for cure. Surgical removal, or excision, of the melanoma is the most effective treatment. Surgical removal may be all that is needed for early melanomas that have not spread, or metastasized, to other parts of the body.
Depending on the area of the body and how thick the melanoma is, you may need plastic surgery to repair the scar left by surgery. After surgery, you will have regular follow-up appointments with your health professional??”every 3 to 6 months for 5 years, then annually??”to monitor for return of the cancer and to detect new melanomas.
For melanomas that have spread to the lymph nodes, a Medication called interferon usually is given to fight the cancer cells. Melanoma that has spread to distant parts of the body is rarely curable; however, several medications are currently being studied.
How can I prevent melanoma?
You can prevent all forms of skin cancer, including melanoma, by avoiding overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Use a sunscreen with an SPF of least 15 daily.
Wear protective clothing outdoors, including a wide-brimmed hat, a long-sleeved shirt, and pants.
Stay out of the sun during the midday hours (10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.).
Use a higher SPF when at higher elevations.
Avoid sunbathing and tanning salons. UV rays from artificial sources such as tanning beds and sunlamps are just as dangerous as those from the sun. 2
Set a good example for your Children by always using sunscreen and wearing protective clothing.
Perform a skin self-exam monthly to identify suspicious growths that may be cancer or growths that may develop into Skin cancer (precancers). Look for any abnormal skin growth or any change in the color, shape, size, or appearance of a skin growth. Check for any area of injured skin that does not heal. Also, have your health professional check your skin during your regular physical exams, or at least once a year.
