Friendly Print preview

Melanoma 2 page pdf

Melanoma GP guide

Skin cancer

Like all body tissues, the skin is made of tiny ‘building blocks' called cells. These cells can sometimes become cancerous. One cause is too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

The epidermis contains 3 different types of cells:

1. squamous cells,
2. basal cells and
3. melanocytes.

Skin cancers are named after the type of cell they start from. The 3 main types of skin cancer are basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer and melanoma, which is the most serious skin cancer. 

Melanoma

Melanoma develops from melanocytes (pigment cells). These cells are the cause of freckles and moles on the skin and produce the colour of a suntan.

Melanoma usually occurs on parts of the body that have been sunburned. However, melanomas can sometimes start in parts of the skin or other parts of the body that have never been exposed to the sun.

Melanoma can grow quickly. If detected early, most melanomas are curable. If they're not detected until later, they can become more serious and may spread to other parts of the body. A melanoma may appear as a new spot on normal skin, or develop from an existing mole.

Melanomas usually begin as a flat spot that changes in size or shape or colour over months. While they remain flat they are generally curable. They usually remain flat for six to 12 months. Later, melanomas become bigger, irregular in shape and often darker in colour.

A less common type of melanoma (called nodular melanoma) is not flat, but is raised from the start. These melanomas are often pink or red, and grow quickly. Not all melanomas are dark or black in colour.

MORE INFORMATION from CCV