Mending Melanoma

You have a mole on your left side of your back. It has changed colors, is slightly raised and starts to bleed. Is it melanoma?

Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer. It develops in the cells (melanocytes) that produce melanin-the pigment that gives skin its color. Melanoma can occur in other areas of the body such as the eyes, and inside the body like your nose and throat.

The exact cause of melanoma is unknown but exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight, tanning lamps or beds, may increase your risk of the disease.

The risk for melanoma seems to be increasing for those under 40, particularly women. Melanoma can be treated successfully if it is detected early.

Melanoma can show up anywhere on the body. They most often show up in areas that have been exposed to the sun such as your back, legs, arms and face. Melanoma can also develop in areas that don’t get too much sun such as fingernail beds, soles of your feet, and palms of your hands. These hidden melanomas are more common amongst dark skin people.

The first melanoma symptoms are a change in an existing mole and the development of a new pigmented or unusual looking growth on your skin. Melanoma doesn’t always begin as a mole. It can appear on otherwise normal looking skin.

Normal moles are generally a uniform color like tan, brown, and black, with a distinct border separating the mole from your surrounding skin. They’re oval or round and usually smaller than ¼ inch (about 6 millimeters) in diameter, about the size of a pencil eraser.

Most moles begin appearing in childhood and new moles may form until age 40. By the time they are adults, most people have between 10 and 40 moles. Moles can change in appearance or disappear from your body.

To help identify unusual moles you should think of the letters ABCDE:

·       A is for asymmetrical shape. Look for moles with irregular shapes or two distinct looking halves.

·       B is for irregular border. Look for moles with irregular, scalloped, or notched borders which are characteristic of melanomas.

·       C is for changes in color. Look for moles that have many colors or an uneven distribution of color.

·       D is diameter. Look for moles that are bigger than ¼ inch (about 6 millimeters).

·       E is evolving. Look for moles that change over time like its size, color or shape. Moles may also change and become itchy or bleeding over time.

Cancerous moles vary in appearance. Some may show all of the changes from the list above while others show one or two characteristics.

Melanomas can occur in places on the body that have little to no exposure to the sun, such as the spaces in between your toes, your palms, scalp, genitals, or soles. These are sometimes referred to as hidden melanomas because they occur in places you wouldn’t think to check. When melanoma occurs on darker skin, it’s more likely to occur in a hidden area.

Hidden melanomas include melanoma under a nail (Acral-lentiginous melanoma is a rare melanoma that can be found under a fingernail or toenail, the palms of hands and soles of the feet); melanoma in the mouth, urinary tract, digestive tract or vagina (muscosal melanoma develops in the mucus membrane that lines the nose, mouth, esophagus, anus, urinary tract, and vagina); melanoma in the eye (also referred to as ocular melanoma, which often occurs in the uvea—the layer beneath the white of the eye that causes vision changes).

Melanomas are caused by something going wrong in the melanin-producing cells (melanocytes) that give color to your skin. Usually healthy new cells push older cells towards the skin surface, where they die and eventually fall off. But when some cells develop DNA damage, new cells grow out of control and eventually form a mass of cancerous cells.

It’s unclear what causes the DNA damage. Doctors believe exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun and tanning lamps and beds are the leading causes of melanoma. Ultraviolet light doesn’t cause all melanoma. There are some places that aren’t exposed to sunlight where melanoma occurs. This indicates that there are other factors that may contribute to your risk of melanoma.

Some factors that may increase your risk of melanoma are having fair skin (though melanoma may develop in people with dark complexions), a history of sunburn, excessive ultraviolet light exposure, living close to the equator or a higher elevation, having many moles or unusual moles, a family history of melanoma, and a weakened immune system.

To diagnose melanoma, you will need a physical exam and a biopsy where your doctor removes a sample of tissue for testing purposes. Once melanoma is confirmed, your doctor will determine what stage the condition falls under. He does this by determining how thick the melanoma is, and determine if the melanoma has spread to the lymph nodes and other areas of the body.

There are many treatment options depending on what stage melanoma you have. If you have a small melanoma, then a biopsy removing that section might be all you need.

But for melanoma that has spread to other areas of the body, treatment options may include surgery to remove the lymph nodes, immunotherapy (a drug treatment that helps your immune system fight cancer), targeted therapy, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.

One of those life-changing moments is when you are told that you have cancer. One coping mechanism is to learn all you can about your condition so that you can make the best decisions concerning your care. Don’t be afraid to lean on loved ones. As such, find someone who could be a sounding board for you. A good listener can make the difference between handling your diagnosis well or not.