Frequently Asked Questions

What is melanoma?
What is "high-risk" melanoma?
What causes melanoma?
How is melanoma treated?

What is melanoma?

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that occurs in melanocytes, the cells that give the skin its color. Melanoma is a more serious type of cancer than other common skin cancers, because it can spread to other parts of the body through the lymph system or the blood.

The first sign of melanoma is often a change in the size, shape, or color of a mole, but melanoma can also appear on the body as a new mole. Any change in a mole including oozing or bleeding, or feeling different—tender, itchy, or hard—should be discussed with your doctor.

What is "high-risk" melanoma?

"High-risk" melanoma is melanoma that has a high probability of coming back (a recurrence). The risk of recurrence is related to the thickness of the tumor and whether the cancer has spread. Any tumor that is greater than 4 millimeters thick (approximately 1/6 of an inch) or that has spread to the tissue below the skin or to a lymph node (part of the body's immune system) is considered a "high-risk" melanoma.

What causes melanoma?

Although no one knows exactly what causes melanoma, one of the main risk factors seems to be exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This can happen from too much sun, or even overuse of tanning booths. People who are exposed to intense sun over a short period of time ("weekend tanners") are more at risk for melanoma than people such as farmers or sailors, who have a more regular daily sun exposure.

While melanoma can occur in people with darker skin, people with fair skin who tend to sunburn or freckle easily are at greater risk—especially those with red or blonde hair. Painful, blistering sunburns, especially in childhood or adolescence, can put people at greater risk. Melanoma also can run in families, especially those with a tendency to develop many abnormally sized or shaped moles all over the body.

How is melanoma treated?

Treatment for melanoma is based on the age and general health of the person, and the stage of the disease (how far along the cancer is). Surgery is the first treatment for any stage melanoma, and can cure people with small, thin melanomas that have not spread to other parts of the body.

Patients with later-stage disease or higher-risk melanoma will receive additional treatment after surgery. Therapy "in addition to" other therapy is called "adjuvant" therapy. It can be chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or immunotherapy (sometimes called biological therapy). Patients will generally be treated by an oncologist, a doctor who specializes in cancer.

Learn more about treating melanoma.

Glossary

Adjuvant Therapy: Treatment given in addition to the primary treatment to enhance the effectiveness of the primary treatment.
Biological Therapy: The use of the body's immune system, either directly or indirectly, to fight cancer or to lessen side effects that may be caused by some cancer treatments. Also known as immunotherapy, biotherapy, or biological response modifier therapy.
Cancer: A general term for more than 100 different diseases that involve the uncontrolled increase of abnormal new cells. These cells form tumors that can destroy surrounding tissue and spread throughout the body.
Chemotherapy: The treatment of cancer (or other disease) with chemicals that are toxic to the cancer cells.
Immune System: The body mechanisms that fight disease by recognizing and neutralizing foreign cells.
Immunotherapy: A form of therapy that stimulates the immune system to kill or control cancer cells. Also called biochemical therapy or biotherapy.
Lymph Nodes: Glands that produce lymph and that filter out harmful agents (such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells).
Lymphatic System: The system of nodes and vessels that carry lymph throughout the body.
Melanocytes: Pigment-producing cells located in the epidermis.
Melanoma: A highly malignant type of skin cancer that arises in melanocytes, the cells that produce pigment. Melanoma usually begins in a mole.
Mole: A cluster of melanocytes and surrounding supportive tissue that usually appears as a tan, brown, or flesh-colored spot on the skin. Also called a nevus.
Oncologist: A physician who specializes in treating cancer.
Radiation Therapy: The treatment of cancer with high-energy X-rays. Also called radiotherapy.
Recurrence: The reappearance of a cancer after a period of remission.
Stage: The extent of a cancer, especially whether the disease has spread from the original site to other parts of the body.
Tumor: An abnormal mass of tissue that results from excessive cell division. Tumors perform no useful body function. They may either be benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
UV Radiation: Invisible rays from the sun. UV radiation can burn the skin and cause melanoma and other types of skin cancer. UV radiation that reaches the earth's surface is made up of two types of rays: UVA and UVB. UVA rays pass deeper into the skin and UVB rays are more likely to cause sunburn. Both kinds of radiation are believed to cause skin cancer and cause premature aging of the skin. People should use sunscreens that block or absorb both kinds of UV radiation.