Melanoma
Melanoma
What is it?
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer which develops in the pigment cells that are present in the skin, known as melanocytes [1]. These are found in the bottom of the epidermis and produce a pigment called melanin when the skin is exposed to sun [2]. The cancerous growth develops when unrepaired DNA damage to skin cells (which often occurs due to UV rays from the sun or tanning beds) trigger mutations which lead in skin cells to multiply rapidly and form malignant tumors. [3]
Symptoms
Early signs of melanoma are changes to the shape, size or color of existing moles which soon become itchy, painful, inflamed or start to bleed. [4] The method ‘ABCDE’ is used to identify moles that may be cancerous.
Asymmetrical – if you draw a line through the mole, the two halves will not match.
Border – the borders of an early melanoma tend to be uneven. The edges may be scalloped or notched.
Colour – having a variety of shades of brown, tan or black could indicate that it’s melanoma. It may also become red, blue or a colour similar to flesh.
Diameter – Melanomas are usually larger in diameter than the size of the eraser on a pencil ( ¼ inch or 6mm) but tend to be smaller when first detected
Evolving – any change in size, shape, colour or elevation or another trait, or any new symptom such as bleeding, itching or crusting indicates melanoma.
[3]
Diagnosis
One method to diagnose melanoma is by carrying out a biopsy which is done to examine the mole considered to be cancerous. This involves removing a part or the entire mole under local anesthesia and sending the specimen to a pathologist for analysis [1]. If tests are positive, a further operation is required to remove a wider margin of the skin. Another method is to do a blood test as this evaluates the electrolytes and enzymes present in the blood which can appear to be abnormal if there are cancerous cells in the body. Also, a PET scan can be taken into advantage to help identify melanoma. A
What is it?
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer which develops in the pigment cells that are present in the skin, known as melanocytes [1]. These are found in the bottom of the epidermis and produce a pigment called melanin when the skin is exposed to sun [2]. The cancerous growth develops when unrepaired DNA damage to skin cells (which often occurs due to UV rays from the sun or tanning beds) trigger mutations which lead in skin cells to multiply rapidly and form malignant tumors. [3]
Symptoms
Early signs of melanoma are changes to the shape, size or color of existing moles which soon become itchy, painful, inflamed or start to bleed. [4] The method ‘ABCDE’ is used to identify moles that may be cancerous.
Asymmetrical – if you draw a line through the mole, the two halves will not match.
Border – the borders of an early melanoma tend to be uneven. The edges may be scalloped or notched.
Colour – having a variety of shades of brown, tan or black could indicate that it’s melanoma. It may also become red, blue or a colour similar to flesh.
Diameter – Melanomas are usually larger in diameter than the size of the eraser on a pencil ( ¼ inch or 6mm) but tend to be smaller when first detected
Evolving – any change in size, shape, colour or elevation or another trait, or any new symptom such as bleeding, itching or crusting indicates melanoma.
[3]
Diagnosis
One method to diagnose melanoma is by carrying out a biopsy which is done to examine the mole considered to be cancerous. This involves removing a part or the entire mole under local anesthesia and sending the specimen to a pathologist for analysis [1]. If tests are positive, a further operation is required to remove a wider margin of the skin. Another method is to do a blood test as this evaluates the electrolytes and enzymes present in the blood which can appear to be abnormal if there are cancerous cells in the body. Also, a PET scan can be taken into advantage to help identify melanoma. A