Meltump Melanoma: What to Know

Melanoma is a skin cancer that can begin in pigment-producing cells. A mark may deserve review when it changes in size, shape, colour, or surface, or when it repeatedly bleeds, crusts, itches, or becomes sore. These signs do not confirm melanoma, but they justify examination. A clinician may use dermoscopy and arrange a biopsy; the laboratory result establishes the diagnosis and helps guide staging. The Melanoma page provides condition-specific background.

Do not cut, burn, scrape, or apply destructive products to a suspicious mole. Photograph the area for comparison, avoid picking it, and make a dermatology appointment. If melanoma is diagnosed, care may include Surgical Excision or other Skin Cancer Surgery. Depending on findings, clinicians may discuss a Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy, Tumour Removal Surgery, Immunotherapy, and Follow-Up After Cancer Treatment.

Seek prompt review for a rapidly changing lesion, a new dark mark that looks different from your other moles, persistent bleeding, ulceration, or a sore that does not heal. Seek emergency help for severe symptoms such as confusion, weakness, seizures, or sudden severe headache; these symptoms can have many causes but require immediate assessment. Brain Metastases are a specialist concern in advanced cancer, not a conclusion from a skin mark alone.

Ask what features make the lesion concerning, whether a biopsy is needed, how quickly it should happen, and when results will be available. If melanoma is confirmed, ask about its stage, margins, lymph-node assessment, treatment choices, and the follow-up plan.