Melanoma is the least common but most deadly of all skin cancers. It originates in melanocytes, the skin cells that produce the dark, protective pigment call melanin. It is melanin that makes the skin tan, acting as partial protection against sun.

Melanoma cells usually continue to produce melanin, which accounts for the cancers appearing in mixed shades of tan, brown and black. Melanoma can also be red or white. (See what to look for in a self-examination). Melanoma tends to spread, making treatment essential.

It is important to note that the annual death rate for melanoma has declined recently because patients are seeking help earlier. Like the less aggressive skin cancers, basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, melanoma is almost always curable when detected in its early stages.

On this page:

• Who Gets Melanoma?
• How to Prevent Melanoma
• How Melanoma is Treated

Who Gets Melanoma?

All people are at risk for developing melanoma, but a person with a family member who has had melanoma has an increased chance of developing the cancer. (For more information, see the Familial Cancer Clinic section.) Also, individuals who have had a number of severe or blistering sunburns during childhood appear to be at an increased risk of developing melanoma.

People with dark brown or black skin also can develop melanoma, especially on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, under nails, or in the mouth. A good rule of thumb is to look for moles darker than your hair or eye color.

The prognosis depends upon the melanoma's depth. Thin melanomas can be easily cured; deep melanomas are harder to remove and may have metastasized to internal organs when discovered.

Melanoma may suddenly appear without warning, but it may also begin in or near a mole, or another dark spot in the skin. It is important to know the location and appearance of the moles on your body so any change will be noticed.

How to Prevent Melanoma

Excessive sun exposure, particularly sunburn, is the most important preventable cause of melanoma, especially among light-skinned individuals.

Atypical moles (dyplastic nevi), which may run in families, and a high number of moles can serve as markers for people at higher risk for developing melanoma. It's important to note that many atypical moles are completely flat and not raised.

Warning signs of melanoma include:

• changes in the surface of a mole;
• scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or the appearance of a new bump;
• spread of pigment from the border into surrounding skin;
• change in sensation including itchiness, tenderness, or pain.

The most important step you can take is to have any changing mole examined by a dermatologist so that any early melanoma can be removed while still in the curable stage. For more information, see the Skin Cancer Prevention page.

How Melanoma is Treated

The most effective treatment of melanoma is surgical removal, which requires excision that includes a wide margin of normal uninvolved skin. Since even a small melanoma can spread early, lesions that are 1 mm or more in thickness often require a sentinel lymph node biopsy that is performed at the time of the wide local excision. Also, University of Minnesota surgeons are now performing Mohs Surgery to treat some types of melanoma. Read more about Mohs Surgery.

In the hands of a skilled surgeon, a sentinel lymph node biopsy is a reliable method of determining whether melanoma has spread to the lymph nodes that drain the particular area of involved skin. If melanoma is detected in the lymph node(s), then all lymph nodes in the area are removed. CT scans are often required to determine whether melanoma has spread beyond lymph nodes to distant sites or organs.

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