Melanoma and Blood Tests

Routine blood tests cannot confirm melanoma. Diagnosis generally requires examination and removal of a suspicious skin lesion for microscopic analysis. Blood tests may be used after diagnosis to assess general health, organ function, or readiness for treatment, while scans and lymph-node assessment answer different staging questions.

Melanoma develops from pigment-producing cells. It often presents as a new or changing pigmented mark, though some melanomas contain little visible pigment. The pathology report describes features of the removed lesion that help the specialist plan further care. A blood result by itself neither proves nor rules out melanoma.

When melanoma spreads, cells may travel through lymphatic channels or the bloodstream to lymph nodes or distant organs. This is called metastatic melanoma; it is not the same as a primary cancer of the blood. Whether staging tests are appropriate depends on the lesion's pathology, examination findings, symptoms, and previous treatment.

Arrange a skin examination if a mole or mark is new, changing, irregular, persistently itchy, crusting, or bleeding. Do not cut, burn, or treat it with home remedies because intact tissue helps accurate assessment. If melanoma has already been diagnosed, keep copies of the pathology and scan reports and attend the planned specialist appointments.

Management can include wider surgical excision around the original site. Selected patients may be offered sentinel lymph node biopsy to assess the first draining nodes. Immunotherapy or other systemic treatment may be considered according to stage and tumour features. Follow-up commonly includes skin and lymph-node checks, symptom review, and imaging when clinically indicated.

Promptly report a rapidly changing skin lesion, a new firm lump near a previous melanoma site, unexplained persistent pain, or new neurological symptoms. Seek emergency care for a first seizure, sudden weakness, severe confusion, collapse, or an abrupt intense headache. Urgency comes from the symptom itself; these features have causes other than melanoma but require assessment.

Ask what the pathology shows, whether the melanoma was completely removed, which staging tests would alter treatment, and whether tumour testing is relevant. Clarify the purpose of each blood test, the follow-up schedule, and whom to contact between appointments if a new symptom appears.