What Is Melanoma?

Prevention Lifestyle Changes and Prevention of Melanoma The following strategies can help limit your exposure to UV rays and reduce your risk of melanoma and other types of skin cancer:e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629cadd42af-fbb7-4c3d-bbba-3b7e385a59e7 Wear protective clothing. If you’re spending time outside, you can protect yourself by wearing a broad-brimmed hat, UV-protective glasses, and garments that cover as much skin as possible. Dark, tightly woven clothes are also good UV shields. Wear sunscreen year-round. Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher, even on cloudy days. Remember to reapply regularly and after sweating or swimming. Avoid tanning beds and lamps. Tanning beds and lamps give off UV light, which can increase your risk of melanoma. Get regular skin exams from a dermatologist. Regular skin exams can help detect cancer early, improving your chance of successful treatment.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629f8be31f2-47a5-4797-8810-de3d4cae87a3 Do self-exams to check for skin changes. Regular self-exams will help familiarize you with all the moles, spots, and other growths on your body. This makes it easier to spot any changes in color, size, shape, or other traits that may indicate cancer.
Treatment Treatment Options for Melanoma When melanoma is detected early, before it has spread, treatment typically involves surgery to remove the tumor. More-advanced forms of melanoma can be more challenging to treat.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629118cbf92-6556-4191-84fa-3eb34f31f659 Surgery When melanoma is localized (limited to a certain part of the body), it can usually be treated with surgery to remove the melanoma. During this outpatient procedure, a surgeon cuts out the affected tissue as well as some of the healthy tissue around it.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976296b823480-e04d-42c7-bb04-2685dd26f17a If the melanoma has spread deeper into the skin or to nearby lymph nodes, you may have other tests or treatments to make sure all the cancer cells are killed. Cancer Therapies Metastatic melanoma can be difficult to treat, but there are options. These include:e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976296b823480-e04d-42c7-bb04-2685dd26f17a Radiation therapy Immunotherapy Targeted therapy Chemotherapy In August 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Tudriqev (vusolimogene oderparepvec), a new type of oncolytic virus therapy for people with advanced skin cancer that no longer responds to PD-1 blocking treatments (a common type of immunotherapy). When used in combination with the immunotherapy drug nivolumab (Opdivo), Tudriqev may help restore immune response in people with cancer that previously stopped responding to immunotherapy.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629ed87cc53-b469-425c-9b34-37727318f581
Causes Causes of and Risk Factors for Melanoma Melanoma occurs when melanocytes (cells that give your skin its color) experience DNA changes that lead to cancerous growth. This growth leads to tumors, or melanomas. It’s not clear exactly what causes melanoma, but experts agree that UV radiation from sunlight and indoor tanning is a major preventable risk factor for cutaneous melanoma. Genetics and other risk factors may also play a role. Other risk factors for melanoma include:e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762981e6c879-6717-4dbf-873d-9a04705c26a0 Family history of melanoma One or more severe sunburns More than 50 typical moles One or more atypical moles Weakened immune system
Diagnosis How Is Melanoma Diagnosed? You may receive regular skin exams during routine health checkups with your doctor or from a dermatologist. If they suspect that an area of your skin might be melanoma, they will likely do a biopsy. This is a procedure that involves examining a sample of the affected tissue under a microscope to determine if it contains melanoma.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629daa71e69-8694-4b82-8f29-fffaf498e8a4 Staging Melanoma If you receive a diagnosis of melanoma, the next step is to determine the extent of the cancer, or stage. Staging melanoma is a complex, vitally important process that both indicates how severe the cancer is and what kinds of treatment could most help. Doctors stage the severity of melanoma using the numbers 0 through 4. The higher the stage, the more advanced the cancer. While many considerations go into staging melanoma, doctors use three main criteria, called the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) system:e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629daa71e69-8694-4b82-8f29-fffaf498e8a4 Tumor (T) Doctors measure the melanoma under a microscope with a special tool to determine its thickness and whether there is ulceration (when the skin is broken due to the tumor). In general, the thicker the melanoma, the more serious the disease. Node (N) If there’s a risk that the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes or surrounding tissues, doctors may remove them to test for cancer cells. Metastasis (M) If doctors suspect that the cancer may have spread, they might use imaging tests, such as an X-ray, MRI, or CT scan, to look for signs of cancer in other areas of the body.
Types Types of Melanoma There are several types of skin melanoma, and they differ in key ways — including how common they are, where on your body they tend to develop, and how aggressive they can be. They include:e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976298b8aa478-69be-4ed2-a4a9-56feed282bb8 Superficial Spreading Melanoma This is the most common type of melanoma. It typically grows across the top layer of skin and may penetrate deeper, especially on the torso or legs. Lentigo Maligna This type of melanoma usually develops slowly on the outermost layer of chronically sun-damaged skin, particularly the face and neck of older adults. When it becomes invasive, it is called lentigo maligna melanoma. Nodular Melanoma This is the most aggressive form of melanoma. It occurs in about 10 to 15 percent of cases and has usually begun to spread to deeper tissue when symptoms start or when it’s diagnosed. Acral Lentiginous This generally appears as a dark mark underneath toenails or fingernails, on the sole of the foot, or on the palm of the hand. Non-Skin Melanomas Melanomas can develop in any part of your body with melanocytes, a type of cell that creates melanin. Although very rare, melanoma can also develop in or around your eye. Ocular melanoma doesn’t typically cause symptoms, so it’s important to get regular eye exams so a doctor can find it before it impacts your vision.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976297d502a1c-fe93-49a6-be1d-44be42b18263 Mucosal melanoma, which is also rare, can occur in any mucous membrane. That includes nasal passages, your throat, vagina, anus, or mouth.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629c1b0d3e2-3ba7-42d9-a551-b3656dd83b0c
Resources We Trust Mayo Clinic: Melanoma Pictures to Help Identify Skin Cancer Cleveland Clinic: Is That Mole Cancerous? The American Melanoma Foundation: Melanoma Risk Factors Melanoma Research Alliance: Just Diagnosed With Melanoma American Cancer Society: Melanoma Skin Cancer
Symptoms Signs and Symptoms of Melanoma The most important sign of melanoma is a new spot on your skin or a spot that is changing in shape, size, or color. Another sign is a spot that looks different from all the other spots on your skin, sometimes called the ugly duckling sign.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629e1be55d2-b5a0-4679-8576-e3b2de43384a The ABCDE guide can help you recognize the warning signs and whether you should see a doctor to check if a spot might be melanoma:e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629e1be55d2-b5a0-4679-8576-e3b2de43384a A is for asymmetry. One half of a mole doesn’t match the other. B is for border. The border is irregular. C is for color. The color isn’t uniform and may contain different shades of brown, black, pink, red, white, or blue. D is for diameter. The spot is larger than 6 millimeters across (although some melanomas can be smaller). E is for evolving. The mole is changing in size, shape, or color.
Melanoma is one of the most dangerous forms of skin cancer . It’s typically caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or tanning beds.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629d15789c4-e466-46a6-bd65-f95963ef2ace When caught early, melanoma is often treatable. The five-year survival rate for localized melanoma (melanoma that hasn’t spread to nearby tissue or distant parts of the body) is over 97 percent.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762957974c5d-9196-493d-8a6a-5f56a2685507 Melanoma that goes undiagnosed can spread to other parts of the body. This makes it harder to treat, and it carries a higher risk of becoming deadly.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629d15789c4-e466-46a6-bd65-f95963ef2ace