How do you know if melanoma is serious?

What are the signs of melanoma?

1. Asymmetry: One half does not match the other half.
2. Border: The edges are not smooth.
3. Color: The color is mottled and uneven, with shades of brown, black, gray, red or white.
4. Diameter: The spot is greater than the tip of a pencil eraser (6.0 mm).

Is melanoma serious if caught early?

Melanoma is usually curable when detected and treated early. Once melanoma has spread deeper into the skin or other parts of the body, it becomes more difficult to treat and can be deadly. The estimated five-year survival rate for U.S. patients whose melanoma is detected early is about 99 percent.

What does a bad melanoma look like?

Border that is irregular: The edges are often ragged, notched, or blurred in outline. The pigment may spread into the surrounding skin. Color that is uneven: Shades of black, brown, and tan may be present. Areas of white, gray, red, pink, or blue may also be seen.

How long can you live with melanoma without knowing?

How long can you have melanoma and not know it? It depends on the type of melanoma. For example, nodular melanoma grows rapidly over a matter of weeks, while a radial melanoma can slowly spread over the span of a decade. Like a cavity, a melanoma may grow for years before producing any significant symptoms.

What does a Stage 1 melanoma look like?

Stage I melanoma is no more than 1.0 millimeter thick (about the size of a sharpened pencil point), with or without an ulceration (broken skin). There is no evidence that Stage I melanoma has spread to the lymph tissues, lymph nodes, or body organs.

How do you know if you caught melanoma early?

Any change in size, shape, color or elevation of a spot on your skin, or any new symptom in it, such as bleeding, itching or crusting, may be a warning sign of melanoma.

Can melanoma be benign?

Melanoma, benign: A benign growth of the melanocytes that is not cancerous.

What does Stage 1 melanoma mean?

In Stage I melanoma, the cancer cells are in both the first and second layers of the skin—the epidermis and the dermis. A melanoma tumor is considered Stage I if it is up to 2 mm thick, and it may or may not have ulceration. There is no evidence the cancer has spread to lymph nodes or distant sites (metastasis).

What should I do if I’ve been diagnosed with melanoma?

I’ve been diagnosed with melanoma! Now what? 1 Skin exam and physical. If you’ve been diagnosed with melanoma,… 2 Staging. Your dermatologist will use the information from the skin exam, physical,… 3 Testing. Some — but not all — patients need testing. 4 Treatment (and possible restaging) The goal of treatment is to remove all…

What happens during a skin exam for melanoma?

The doctor will ask you questions about when the spot on your skin first showed up and if it has changed in size or the way it looks. The rest of your skin will be checked. During the exam your doctor will check the size, shape, color and texture of any skin changes. If signs are pointing to melanoma, more tests will be done.

What is the difference between skin cancer and melanoma?

Your doctor can tell you more about the type of skin cancer you have. Basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers are much more common than melanoma and don’t often spread to other parts of the body. Melanoma is more deadly because it is more likely to spread to other parts of the body. Why do you think I have cancer?

How common is melanoma?

The National Cancer Institute predicts that over 91,000 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in 2018, and that it will claim about 9,300 lives. The good news is that most skin cancers are highly treatable when detected early, says dermatologist Christine Poblete-Lopez, MD.