Malignant Melanoma
“Melanoma should be removed urgently by an accredited specialist skin cancer surgeon. ”
malignant melnoma: black nodule arising within an irregular lookng mole
Skin cancer needs to be treated urgently by accredited specialists - if you are concerned that you or a loved one has a malignant mole, please contact us urgently or seek help form your general practitioner. We have an emergency/same day dermatology service to see and assess your mole and remove it for testing if necessary.
What is a melanoma skin cancer ?
Malignant melanoma is a serious form of skin cancer that usually originates from the colour cells in the skin (melanocytes) . The most common cause is sun exposure, although other factors can play a role such as a family history of skin cancer (genetics).
Abnormal moles is usually recognised by the naked eye as a mole that has been changing in size, shape or colour or may have been bleeding, painful or itchy. Not all melanomas are dark moles, some can be reddish brown or simple red in colour.
This type of skin cancer has a risk of spreading throughout the body and therefore any suspicion that a patient has a melanoma is taken very seriously.
Most melanomas are removed by surgery at an early stage and patients therefore usually have a very good long term outcome (prognosis).
Some patients do have more advanced melanoma which requires more specialist care, all of which can be provided at Skin55.
Surgical treatment for melanoma
In the first instance, moles that are suspected to be melanoma are removed by a surgical procedure known as excision. This involves cutting out the suspect mole, usually under local anaesthetic and often stitching the wound closed.
The mole that has been removed is then sent for laboratory testing. At Skin55 we can normally have lab results in a few days for urgent cases.
Skin biopsy lab results for melanoma, showing melanoma in situ at the yellow arrow overlying a normal mole at the black arrow
Wide local excision for malignant melanoma
Melanoma in situ (early melanoma)
After the initial mole has been removed and tested, confirming the diagnosis of malignant melanoma,a further procedure known as a wide local excision is usually performed. This means that the scar from the original procedure is cut out, even if the melanoma had been completely removed the first time around.
The size of the wide local excision is usually 1 or 2 cm around the previous scar - this is known as the surgical margin. The size of the margin depends on how deep the melanoma was, according to a measurement known as the Breslow depth.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanoma
Some patients will be offered an additional procedure known as a sentinel lymph node biopsy - this is a procedure that can more accurately determine a patients prognosis if they have been diagnosed with melanoma and is used to determine the patient's cancer "stage." Your consultant will discuss the suitability of this procedure with you, if appropriate.
Skin cancer multidisciplinary team at Skin55, Harley Street.
At Skin55 we have a team of specialists that can diagnose, advise and treat squamous cell carcinoma as routine. Our skin cancer team consists of highly experienced consultants and specialist nurses who can guide you through your care.
Useful skin cancer links:
British Association of Dermatologists Melanoma Leaflet (Stage 1)
