What should you know about melanoma and breast cancer?

Melanoma begins in pigment-producing cells, while breast cancer begins in breast tissue. A person can have a past melanoma and later develop a separate breast condition, and a breast finding can also be benign. Examination and breast imaging help locate and describe the finding, but tissue examination is often needed to identify its nature.

If cancer is found, pathology can distinguish a breast primary from metastatic disease by examining cell features and using appropriate markers. The location of disease, earlier cancer history, imaging pattern, and biopsy findings are considered together. A breast lump is a common presentation of breast cancer, but a lump alone cannot determine the diagnosis.

Make an appointment for a new lump, nipple change, skin dimpling, discharge, or persistent focal discomfort. A clinician may recommend a mammogram, breast MRI, or targeted imaging according to the finding and your history. A breast biopsy removes a small sample for pathology when imaging or examination requires a definite tissue diagnosis.

Tell the team about previous melanoma, its treatment, and any pathology reports. If breast cancer is diagnosed, the team may discuss lymph-node assessment and tests that describe tumour features or gene expression. Those results can help shape treatment choices; they do not replace the core diagnosis.

Seek prompt medical assessment for a new or enlarging breast lump, bloody nipple discharge, a newly inverted nipple, skin puckering, or a change that persists. Contact your cancer team quickly for new headaches, weakness, confusion, seizures, or vision changes, particularly if you have a history of cancer, because symptoms in the brain need urgent clinical evaluation.

Could this finding be benign, a new breast cancer, or related to previous melanoma? Which imaging test is appropriate? Do I need a breast biopsy or lymph-node biopsy? Which pathology or genomic tests would change treatment? What symptoms should prompt an urgent call?