What is melanoma?
Melanoma is a cancer of the skin that originates from the cells that give pigment or color to our skin, hair and eyes. Most melanomas occur in the skin, although they can also occur in the eye.
Although melanoma is not the most common skin cancer, it is the most serious one. About 60,000 cases are diagnosed each year in the United States and about 450 of these patients will be less than 20 year old.
What causes melanoma?
In adults, there are many factors that favor the development of melanoma such as
- A relative who also had a melanoma,
- The presence of many moles or atypical moles (dysplastic nevi),
- A history of skin cancer, receiving medicines that diminish the activity of the normal immune system,
- Very fair skin with sun sensitivity
- A history of sunburns.
Although few studies, mostly in Germany and Australia, have shown that most children with melanoma have some of the same risk features as adults, there are other conditions that increase the chances of melanoma in children and these include:
The presence of melanoma at birth (congenital melanoma) as a result of passage of the tumor from the mother to the infant through the placenta
The presence of a giant mole (giant congenital nevus)
Diagnosis of a rare disorder called xeroderma pigmentosum
Presence of a rare disease called neurocutaneous melanosis
Werner’s syndrome
History of the genetic form of retinoblastoma
A weakened immune system after bone marrow or kidney transplant or as a result an infection such as HIV
What are the symptoms of melanoma?
The warning signs of skin melanoma are often called the A B C D E’s of melanoma and include:
A for asymmetry. The two halves of the mole do not match.
B for border irregularity. The borders of the mole are fuzzy and irregular rather than sharp.
C is for color variegation. In addition to brown or black, other colors are present
D is for diameter. The size of the mole is bigger than the size of the eraser on your pencil (0.6 cm or about ¼ of an inch).
E is for evolving. The mole has changed in size, shape or color.
Other signs of concern include a mole that has developed bleeding or ulceration, and itching. A lump near the mole or in the lymph glands close to the mole should always be looked at by a doctor.
There are no blood tests that can screen or diagnose melanoma, and for this reason, if you see one or more of the warning signs above, it is important to report them to your physician promptly.
Alberto Pappo, MD
Texas Children’s Cancer Center
Reviewed and edited by the CureSearch.org Medical Editorial Board
June 2008