Malignant Melanomas

While all skin cancers are cause for concern and require treatment, BCC and SCC are more common than malignant melanoma (sometimes only called ‘melanoma’), and they don’t usually spread to other areas of the body.

Melanoma is the rarest type of skin cancer, accounting for around 5% of all skin cancers; but it is also the most aggressive, and it can spread to other parts of the body, including the organs. When this happens, it is called metastasis.

The term ‘melanoma’ refers to cancers that develop from the upper layers of the skin, when skin cells that cause the skin to be pigmented with melanin (called melanocytes) grow abnormally. When these pigmented skin cells change, the cancer is described as melanoma, as it originated from the melanocytes.

Melanoma skin cancers are serious and require specialist medical attention and treatment, and this is why suspected pre-cancerous lesions or suspicious growths should always be checked by a medical expert.

The earlier a melanoma is caught, the greater the chance of treating it before it spreads, so it must be taken seriously. Caught early, a melanoma should have only spread superficially (i.e. on the surface of the skin), so can potentially be fully excised. If a melanoma is fully excised, the chance of recurrence on the same site is low.

There are different types of melanoma, but they are usually treated in the same way. While melanoma skin cancer can affect people at any age, the risk increases with age.

There is a mnemonic device called the ABCDE method that may be helpful to keep in mind when self-checking the mole or mark. ABCDE stands for:

• Asymmetry – an irregular shape;
• Border – the edge is not smooth;
• Colour – the pigmentation is uneven or it has dark spots;
• Diameter – the spot is larger than the size of a pencil eraser.
• Evolving – changes in size, shape or texture.

The only way to be certain if a mole or mark is melanoma is to have it examined by a doctor, and time is of the essence in treating any skin cancer, but especially melanoma.

Other symptoms may include:

• Sores that do not heal
• Pigmentation, redness or swelling that spreads outside the border of a mole or mark to the skin surrounding it
• Itchiness, tenderness or pain coming from a mole or mark
• Changes in texture, or scales, oozing or bleeding from an existing mole

As the symptoms are so varied, and because not all melanomas develop from moles, it is critical to discuss new or unusual skin growths with your doctor.

Many melanomas develop in areas of the skin that are exposed to the ultraviolet (UV) light of the sun, but they can also develop in areas that are usually covered up.