Melanoma: Symptoms, Complications, and Treatment

Contents

In this article, we will take a look at:

• What is Melanoma?
• How does Melanoma occur?
• Who is prone to Melanoma?
• Symptoms of Melanoma
• Diagnosis of Melanoma
• Complications of Melanoma
• Treatment for Melanoma

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What is melanoma?

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer which mostly occurs due to excessive sun exposure. In this case, the melanocyte cells or the pigment-producing cells present in the skin undergo mutation and becomes cancerous. In some individuals, melanoma occurs in the eye and then it is known as ocular melanoma. Melanoma can develop at any part of the body of anyone. However, in men, the chest and the back regions are more prone to it. In the case of women, the legs, neck, and face are the usual sites for melanoma occurrence.

There are four principal types of melanoma - Superficial, Nodular, Lentigo Maligna, and Acral Lentiginous melanoma.

Superficial Spreading Melanoma:

This type of melanoma usually develops on the legs of the patient. In the beginning, it remains localised to a place, and after a few months, it spreads across the skin surface. It is the most common type of melanoma.

Nodular Melanoma:

This type of melanoma appears on the head, neck or trunk of the individual. It is generally red and grows at a much faster rate than other melanomas.

Lentigo Maligna Melanoma:

This type mostly starts as a Hutchinson's freckle and later on may transform into lentigo malignant melanoma. It looks like a stain on the skin and grows slower than the other types.

Acral Lentiginous Melanoma:

It generally appears on the hands, under the nails or on the feet and is common in the dark-skinned people. It is a rare type of melanoma, and any association between sun exposures and this type of melanoma is not yet proven.

How does melanoma occur?

Melanoma mostly occurs due to mutation of the melanocyte cells where they multiply abnormally and produce a skin sore. This type of skin cancer has five stages:

Stage 0: In this stage, the malignant cells are present only on the outermost layer of skin.

Stage 1: Here the lesion is 2 millimetres thick, and the cancerous cells have not spread to the nearby lymph nodes.

Stage 2: Here the tumour is 1.1 millimetres to 4 millimetres thick, and the cancerous cells may or may not be ulcerated. However, the malignancy has not spread to the lymph nodes at this stage.

Stage 3: In this case, the malignancy has spread to one or more nearby lymph nodes and the lymphatic channels.

Stage 4: Here the malignancy has extended to many distant organs in the body.

Who is prone to melanoma?

The risk of acquiring melanoma increases manifold if:

• You have fair skin and less melanin pigment in the skin. In this way, you have less protection against the harmful ultraviolet radiation which is a potential causal factor for melanoma.
• You have a history of freckle or sunburn skin.
• You have persistent ultraviolet radiation exposure.
• Your location is close to the equator, or you live in a high altitude place.
• You have a family history of melanoma.
• You immunity has weakened due to a medical condition like organ transplantation.

What are the symptoms of melanoma? How is melanoma diagnosed?

The symptoms of melanoma include:

• Appearance of a new mole or spot on the skin, or a sudden change in colour, size, and shape of a previous mole
• Presence of a skin sore which does not heal
• Itchy, painful skin sore which may even bleed at times
• A lump in the epidermal layer which is shiny, waxy, and pale
• A flat red rough spot on the skin, which is dry and scaly

Diagnosis

If you have any mole or spot on the skin which stands out from other, you should immediately consult a dermatologist. He would physically examine the mole and ask for your family history. The doctor may also prescribe imaging test like CT scan, PET-CT Scan, or MRI of the mole to get a better idea of its composition. If he finds anything suspicious in the diagnostic report, then he would further ask you to go for a biopsy of the mole. It would confirm or rule out the presence of melanoma in your skin.

What are the complications of melanoma?

If melanoma is diagnosed in the later stage, the patient may show several complications. Few of them include:

• Infection of the skin sore
• Skin necrosis and pain on the skin sore
• Lymphoedema or a condition where the patient’s lymph nodes disrupt, and fluid builds-up in the limbs

What is the treatment for melanoma?

The treatment of melanoma depends on which stage it is diagnosed at. If the diagnosis occurs in the early stage, then the doctor may recommend surgery to remove the malignancy from the patient’s system. However, if the diagnosis happens in the later stage, then chemotherapy or the use of drugs to kill the cancerous cells is a better option.