On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Images

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. Often the first sign of melanoma is a change in the size, shape, color, or feel of a mole. Most melanomas have a black or black-blue area. Melanoma may also appear as a new mole. It may be black, abnormal, or "ugly looking."

Thinking of "ABCDE" can help you remember what to watch for:

• Asymmetry - the shape of one half does not match the other
• Border - the edges are ragged, blurred or irregular
• Color - the color is uneven and may include shades of black, brown and tan
• Diameter - there is a change in size, usually an increase
• Evolving - the mole has changed over the past few weeks or months

Surgery is the first treatment of all stages of melanoma. Other treatments include chemotherapy and radiation, biologic, and targeted therapies. Biologic therapy boosts your body's own ability to fight cancer. Targeted therapy uses substances that attack cancer cells without harming normal cells.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Start Here

• General Information about Melanoma (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Melanoma (American Academy of Dermatology)
• What Is Melanoma Skin Cancer? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• BRAF Genetic Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Lymphoscintigraphy (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• PDL1 (Immunotherapy) Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Skin Biopsy (VisualDX)
• Skin Cancer Screening (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Skin Cancer Screening (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Stages of Melanoma (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Tests for Melanoma Skin Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Common Moles, Dysplastic Nevi, and Risk of Melanoma (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Risk Factors for Melanoma Skin Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Skin Cancer Prevention (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Drugs Approved for Melanoma (National Cancer Institute)
• Treatment Option Overview (Melanoma) (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Living as a Melanoma Skin Cancer Survivor (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Moles: Overview (American Academy of Dermatology)
• What Causes Melanoma Skin Cancer? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• General Information about Intraocular (Uveal) Melanoma (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Ocular Melanoma (American Academy of Ophthalmology) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Giant congenital melanocytic nevus: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Melanoma: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Images

• Melanoma (VisualDX)
• What Does a Mole Look Like? (National Cancer Institute)
• What Does Melanoma Look Like? (National Cancer Institute)

Statistics and Research

• Advances in Melanoma and Other Skin Cancers Research (National Cancer Institute)
• Cancer Stat Facts: Melanoma of the Skin (National Cancer Institute)
• Melanoma of the Skin Statistics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Some Melanomas May Start in Hair Follicles (National Institutes of Health)
• What's New in Research and Treatment of Melanoma Skin Cancer? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Intraocular (Eye) Melanoma (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Melanoma (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: A phase I/II study of the safety and efficacy of telaglenastat...
• Article: Early switch from run-in with targeted to immunotherapy in advanced BRAF(V600)-positive...
• Article: Tebentafusp elicits on-target cutaneous immune responses driven by cytotoxic T cells...
• Melanoma -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Dictionary of Cancer Terms (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• American Cancer Society
• Find a Dermatologist (American Academy of Dermatology)
• National Cancer Institute Also in Spanish

Children

• Childhood Intraocular (Uveal) Melanoma Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Childhood Melanoma Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Melanoma (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• After chemotherapy - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Melanoma (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Melanoma of the eye (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish