Commonly asked questions
Q: What is melanoma?
A: An aggressive and deadly form of cancer that occurs in skin cells called melanocytes. It is one of the two main types of skin cancer, the other being nonmelanoma, which is considered less aggressive and more treatable if caught early because it spreads less quickly.
Q: What are the symptoms of melanoma?
A: A typical indicator is a change to a mole, freckle or patch of skin. The NHS recommends anyone with changes in the appearance of a mole, or even a new mole should contact their GP. Melanomas can appear anywhere but are more common in areas often exposed to ultraviolet sunlight. Rarer types can affect eyes, soles of feet, palms or genitals.
Q: What puts you at risk of developing this?
A: The main cause of melanoma is ultraviolet light, from the sun and from excessive use of sunbeds. Older people are more likely to develop the condition as well as those with red or blonde hair, green or blue eyes, and pale skin. Other factors include a family history of skin cancer or having lots of moles or freckles, prolonged exposure to the sun or sunbeds, and regularly being sunburnt. The NHS encourages everyone, but children in particular, to use sun protection cream, sun hats and stay in the shade at the hottest part of the day. People with black or brown skin are less at risk.
Q: How is melanoma usually diagnosed?
A: The GP will take pictures of any areas of concern to be examined and, if referred to a specialist, a dermatologist, a biopsy, a sample of the skin will usually confirm a diagnosis. Further tests may follow, including blood tests, and CT and MRI scans, to assess if and how far the cancer has spread. This will affect the treatment.
Q: How is it treated?
A: Surgery is the most common form of treatment. The aim is to remove the melanoma by taking the affected mole, for example, and an area of healthy skin around it. That helps reduce the risk of it returning. If it has spread to other areas, these will also need to be removed, which can include swollen lymph glands that make up part of the body’s immune system. Radiotherapy may be used to reduce the size of the cancer while targeted immunotherapy drugs, which help the body identify and attack the cancer cells, can be used in cases where it has spread and surgery is not an option or has not been effective. Chemotherapy is less effective for skin cancer and is usually reserved to treat advanced cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.
Q: What are the chances of survival?
A: If skin cancer is caught and treated early – at Stage 1, when the cancer is only in the skin and has not spread – almost everyone survives beyond five years, says Cancer Research UK. This five-year survival rate drops to 80 per cent for people diagnosed at Stage 2 and 70 per cent at Stage 3, when it has spread to nearby areas such as lymph nodes. At Stage 4, where it has spread to other parts of the body, five-year survival is more like 30 per cent . Overall, 85 per cent of melanoma patients are alive 10 years or more after diagnosis.