Detecting the Earliest Signs of Melanoma
Regular head-to-toe skin examinations are the key to diagnosing melanoma at its earliest stage, when it is most easily cured. During a skin examination, a clinician will look for any changes in the appearance of moles that could indicate cancer. Signs of skin cancer, often called the ABCDEs of skin cancer detection, may include moles that have an Asymmetrical shape, an uneven Border, more than one Color, changing Diameter, and appear to be Evolving or changing over time.
Clinicians will also teach patients how to conduct self-examinations of their skin, including how to look for moles that have changed in appearance. Conducting a complete and deliberate skin self-exam may significantly improve the chance of early detection and successful treatment of skin cancer. People who examine their skin regularly are more likely to notice changes in the appearance of their moles and bring them to the attention of a doctor, who will perform the appropriate diagnostic tests. To learn more, visit our Screening Guidelines for skin cancers.
For people who are at higher-than-average risk for melanoma because of personal or family history or because they have a large number of moles, Memorial Sloan-Kettering offers a more intensive surveillance program, which includes a Digital Imaging Screening Program. In this program, a digital photographic record of a patient's skin is created and stored. When a patient returns for subsequent appointments, any suspected change in a mole can be verified by an immediate comparison to the prior computerized photographic record.
Toward Individualized Risk Assessment
Precisely how genes interact with the environment to increase any one person's risk for melanoma is a key question in cancer research. Although it is clear that UV radiation can damage DNA, and that high levels of sun exposure are associated with melanoma risk, the exact relationship between UV exposure and melanoma remains unclear.
