Bookmark

Home
Advice
Malignant melanoma skin cancer
What is melanoma skin cancer
Stages
Alternative medicine
Causes and risk factors
Symptoms
Tests diagnosis
Nonmelanoma skin cancer
Treatment
Melenoma skin cancer
Melinoma skin cancer
Non melanoma skin cancer

Melanoma skin cancer tests diagnosis

Your Medical History

Your physician will ask when the skin changes occurred and whether you have been exposed to any cancer causing substances such as skin toxic chemicals, radiation and/or high amounts of unprotected sun exposure.

A physical Examination

One way to find out if you have cancer is to look for obvious signs of it. During a physical examination, a doctor will look your body over for suspicious looking growths. The head can be examined by parting the hair with a wooden Popsicle sticks or large tooth picks. You should get a physical examination for skin cancer if you have any of the following conditions:

The conditions that you should get a physical examination include:

• Suspicious moles or skin lesions
• Symptoms of early skin cancer.
• A history of previous skin cancer.
• 50 or more moles.
• Atypical moles (dysplastic nevi).
• A family history of skin cancer.

Early signs of cancer are a sore that will not heal or changes in warts or moles on your body. The doctor will then evaluate if you have melanoma if you have the following conditions:

Conditions that you may have melanoma are ABCDE:

• A for Asymmetry - One half doesn't match the appearance of the other half.
• B for Border irregularity - The edges are ragged, notched, or blurred.
• C for Color - The color (pigmentation) is not uniform. Shades of tan, brown, and black are present. Dashes of red, white, and blue add to a mottled appearance.
• D for Diameter - The size of the mole is greater than 6 mm. (about the size of a pencil eraser). Any growth of a mole should be evaluated.
• E for Elevation - A previously flat mole has now be raised or thickened at the base.

Other conditions for Melanoma are:

• Surface, such as scaling, erosion, oozing, bleeding, or crusting.
• Surrounding skin, such as redness, swelling, or small new patches of color around a larger lesion.
• Sensation, such as itching, tingling, or burning.
• Consistency, such as softening or small pieces that break off easily

Signs of other type of skin Cancers

• A firm, transparent bump laced with tiny blood vessels in thin red lines
• A reddish irritated patch of skin.
• A new, smooth skin bump with a raised border and indented center.
• A smooth, shiny, or pearly bump that may look like a mole or cyst.
• A shiny area of tight-looking skin, especially on the face, that looks like a scar and has poorly defined edges.
• An open sore that oozes, bleeds, or crusts and has not healed in 3 weeks.
• A persistent red bump on sun-exposed skin.
• A sore that does not heal or an area of thickened skin on the lower lip, especially if you smoke or use chewing tobacco, or your lips are exposed to the sun and wind.

Skin Biopsy
The last way to detect skin cancer is with a skin biopsy. Skin Biopsy's are done to check for skin cancers in suspected skin cancer areas. Such as suspicious bumps found during an examination.

© www.melanomaskincancer.net