A friend has melanoma
March 11th 2007 03:48
A friend of mine has just been diagnosed with melanoma. So this blog is about a very serious form of cancer – melanoma. This is a long post, but there is much to say.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR: It is usually atypical moles which become melanomas. Atypical moles:
They may be larger than average (5-15mm)
They may be an unusual shape or have a notched or blurred border.
The colour is variable and may be pink, brown or black.
The surface may be bumpy or smooth.
They have characteristic dermoscopic features.
They may have atypical or dysplastic features on biopsy.
It is even more likely that these moles will become melanomas if there is a history of melanoma in your family. A family history of melanoma makes it much more likely you may get melanoma. And the more family members who have had a melanoma the more likely it is you will get melanoma also.
If any mole, but especially an atypical mole changes in any way (shape, size, colour) it is quite possible that it has become a melanoma. Because some melanomas are very aggressive it is worth getting to a GP or skin cancer clinic within a day or two.
1. Melanoma should be taken seriously – it is life threatening. Most skin cancers (basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma) are not life threatening. However melanoma is – and it is aggressive, you don’t have much time once it starts growing; it metastasises (spreads to other parts of the body) quickly.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR: It is usually atypical moles which become melanomas. Atypical moles:
They may be larger than average (5-15mm)
They may be an unusual shape or have a notched or blurred border.
The colour is variable and may be pink, brown or black.
The surface may be bumpy or smooth.
They have characteristic dermoscopic features.
They may have atypical or dysplastic features on biopsy.
It is even more likely that these moles will become melanomas if there is a history of melanoma in your family. A family history of melanoma makes it much more likely you may get melanoma. And the more family members who have had a melanoma the more likely it is you will get melanoma also.
If any mole, but especially an atypical mole changes in any way (shape, size, colour) it is quite possible that it has become a melanoma. Because some melanomas are very aggressive it is worth getting to a GP or skin cancer clinic within a day or two.
1. Melanoma should be taken seriously – it is life threatening. Most skin cancers (basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma) are not life threatening. However melanoma is – and it is aggressive, you don’t have much time once it starts growing; it metastasises (spreads to other parts of the body) quickly.
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