Melanoma (patient information)

WikiDoc Resources for Melanoma (patient information)
Articles
Most recent articles on Melanoma (patient information) Most cited articles on Melanoma (patient information) Review articles on Melanoma (patient information) Articles on Melanoma (patient information) in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ
Media
Powerpoint slides on Melanoma (patient information) Images of Melanoma (patient information) Photos of Melanoma (patient information) Podcasts & MP3s on Melanoma (patient information) Videos on Melanoma (patient information)
Evidence Based Medicine
Cochrane Collaboration on Melanoma (patient information) Bandolier on Melanoma (patient information) TRIP on Melanoma (patient information)
Clinical Trials
Ongoing Trials on Melanoma (patient information) at Clinical Trials.gov Trial results on Melanoma (patient information) Clinical Trials on Melanoma (patient information) at Google
Guidelines / Policies / Govt
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Melanoma (patient information) NICE Guidance on Melanoma (patient information) NHS PRODIGY Guidance FDA on Melanoma (patient information) CDC on Melanoma (patient information)
Books
Books on Melanoma (patient information)
News
Melanoma (patient information) in the news Be alerted to news on Melanoma (patient information) News trends on Melanoma (patient information)
Commentary
Blogs on Melanoma (patient information)
Definitions
Definitions of Melanoma (patient information)
Patient Resources / Community
Patient resources on Melanoma (patient information) Discussion groups on Melanoma (patient information) Patient Handouts on Melanoma (patient information) Directions to Hospitals Treating Melanoma (patient information) Risk calculators and risk factors for Melanoma (patient information)
Healthcare Provider Resources
Symptoms of Melanoma (patient information) Causes & Risk Factors for Melanoma (patient information) Diagnostic studies for Melanoma (patient information) Treatment of Melanoma (patient information)
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
CME Programs on Melanoma (patient information)
International
Melanoma (patient information) en Espanol Melanoma (patient information) en Francais
Business
Melanoma (patient information) in the Marketplace Patents on Melanoma (patient information)
Experimental / Informatics
List of terms related to Melanoma (patient information)

Editor-in-Chief: Jinhui Wu

Please Join in Editing This Page and Apply to be an Editor-In-Chief for this topic: There can be one or more than one Editor-In-Chief. You may also apply to be an Associate Editor-In-Chief of one of the subtopics below. Please mail us [1] to indicate your interest in serving either as an Editor-In-Chief of the entire topic or as an Associate Editor-In-Chief for a subtopic. Please be sure to attach your CV and or biographical sketch.

What is melanoma?

Melanoma is a cancer that starts in the melanocytes. Although much less common than basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers, melanoma causes most skin cancer deaths. Usually, the first sign of melanoma is a change in the size, shape, color or feel of a mole. The ABCD rule can help you tell a normal mole from an abnormal mole. Melanoma can be cured only if it is diagnosed and treated early. When spreads to other parts of the body, the outlook could be very bad.

How do I know if I have melanoma and what are the symptoms of melanoma?

Usually, the first sign of melanoma is a change in the size, shape, color or feel of a mole. The ABCD rule can help you tell whether the mole is normal or not. Moles that have any of these signs should be checked by your doctor.

• Asymmetry: It means one half of the mole does not match the other half.

• Border irregularity: The edges of the mole looks ragged, blurred, or notched.

• Color: The color over the mole is not the same and may be shades of tan, brown, or black, and sometimes patches of pink, red, blue, or white.

• Diameter: The mole is larger than about 1/4 inch, although sometimes melanomas can be smaller.

• The mole is growing or changing in shape or color

Some melanomas do not fit the "rules" above and may be hard to tell if the mole is normal or not. Only a doctor can tell for sure. A person with any of these symptoms should tell the doctor so that the problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.

Who is at risk for melanoma?

Clinical data has suggested that the development of melanoma is related to several factors.

• Sunlight(solar UV radiation): Too much exposure to sunlight(solar UV radiation) is thought to be the biggest risk factor for most melanomas.

• Moles: Although as a benign skin tumor, the mole increases the chance of getting melanoma, espcially for people with many moles.

• Genetic factors: Epidemiological data show that Whites with fair skin, freckles, or red or blond hair have a higher risk of melanoma than other race.

• Immunosuppressive factors: Clinical surveys suggest patients treated with Immunosuppressive medicines such as transplant patients, have an increased risk of developing melanoma.

• Previous melanoma: A person with previous history of melanoma has a higher risk of getting another melanoma.

• Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP): Patients with XP are at higher risk of melanoma because thay can not repair damage caused by sunlight.

• Age: Epidemiological data suggest that melanoma can be found both in old people and in younger people.

• Gender: Men have a higher chance of developing melanoma than women.

How to know you have melanoma?

Regular self-examinations are key to early detection of melanoma. Any time skin cancer is suspected, go to see a dermatologist.

• Biopsy: At first dermatologists detect skin cancer through a visual examination of the skin and mucous membranes. Then, if malignancy is suspected, a biopsy will be performed. It is the most important measure for the diagnosis of melanoma.

• Images tests such as computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) scan, ultrasound and chest-x-ray: The goal of these image tests are to help find out the extent of the melanoma and determine the stage of the disease.

When to seek urgent medical care?

Call your dermatologist if symptoms of melanoma develops.

Treatment options

Patients with melanoma have many treatment options. The selection depends on the stage of the tumor. The options are surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy , or a combination of these methods. Before treatment starts, ask your health care team about possible side effects and how treatment may change your normal activities. Because cancer treatments often damage healthy cells and tissues, side effects are common. Side effects may not be the same for each person, and they may change from one treatment session to the next.

• Surgery: Surgery is the main treatment for most cases of melanoma. It can often cure early stage melanomas. Once the melanoma has spread from the skin to distant organs, the aim of surgery is to remove areas of spread and help patients live longer or have a better quality of life.

• Radiation therapy: This is a cancer treatment to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing by using high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation. Radiation therapy may be used to treat cancer which has come back and can not be removed by surgery, and distant spread to the brain or the bone.

• Chemotherapy: The treatment is to use drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Usually, chemotherapy is useful in treating cancer that has spread.

• Immunotherapy: This kind of treatment helps patients's immune system to better attack the cancer. There are many drugs of immunotherapy used for people with advanced melanoma, such as cytokines, interferon-alpha, melanoma vaccines and so on.

Diseases with similar symptoms

• Benign junctional nevus

• Cellular blue nevus

• Basal cell carcinoma

• Sclerosing angioma

• Seborrheic keratosis

Where to find medical care for melanoma?

Directions to Hospitals Treating melanoma

Copyleft Sources

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/melanoma.html

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_2_1X_What_is_melanoma_skin_cancer_50.asp?sitearea=CRI