skin disorders
Melanoma
Diagnosis of Melanoma
Biopsy A new mole or changes in a mole—such as enlargement (especially with an irregular border), darkening, inflammation, spotty color changes, bleeding, itching, tenderness, and pain—are warning signs of possible melanoma and so are the The ABCDEs of Melanoma . If these or other findings lead doctors to suspect melanoma, they do a biopsy. These warning signs are known as the ABCDEs of melanoma. A—Asymmetry: Asymmetric (irregular) appearance (the two halves of the mole are not equal) B—Borders: Irregular borders (that is, borders seem to blend in with the surrounding skin or are not round or oval) C—Color: Changes in color of an existing mole, especially the spread of brown, black, red, white, or blue pigmentation or a color significantly different or darker than the person's other moles D—Diameter: More than ¼ inch (about 6 millimeters) wide, about the size of most pencil erasers E—Evolution: A new mole in a person over age 30 or a changing mole For the Biopsy , doctors remove the entire growth if it is small or only part of it if it is large. They then examine the sample under a microscope to determine whether the growth is a melanoma and, if so, whether all the cancer has been removed. If the biopsy shows that the growth is a melanoma and the growth has not been completely removed, it is then completely removed. A growth that is a melanoma is often tested for genetic mutations because results may further help doctors determine treatment. Most darkly pigmented growths that are removed for biopsy are not melanoma but, rather, Moles . Nonetheless, removing even many harmless moles is preferable to allowing a single cancer to grow. Some growths are neither simple moles nor melanomas, but something in between. These growths, called There are additional tools that doctors may use to help distinguish an atypical mole from a melanoma. These tools include polarized light and dermoscopy, which help to better evaluate the growths. 