Melanoma cancer is a disease in which skin cells that color the skin, called melanocytes, become infected with malignant cancer cells. As the largest organ of the body, the skin protects against sunlight, injury, infection and heat. Melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer and can develop anywhere on the body, reports the National Cancer Institute.
Symptoms
The first symptoms of melanoma typically are visual signs that appear on the skin. While not always the result of cancer, a mole is the most common first sign of melanoma. Moles that should be checked for malignancy include those that change in color, shape or size, have jagged edges or are more than one color. A mole that bleeds or opens to reveal underlying skin tissue could be a symptom of melanoma. If new moles begin to appear near an existing mole, cancer may be present.
Tests
Once a patient is diagnosed with melanoma, which is ascertained through a biopsy of the mole, additional tests must be run to make sure the cancer has not spread to other parts of the body, particularly nearby lymph nodes. The level of spreading indicates which stage the cancer is in and how treatment will progress.
Early Stages
In Stages 1 and 2, the cancer has not spread to other parts of the body. Stage 1 measurements of the melanoma tumor remain less than one millimeter thick and the mole has not ulcerated, or broken through the skin. If the tumor is smaller than 2 millimeters thick and has broken through the skin, it is considered to be in Stage 1A. Stage two tumors are less than 4-millimeters thick and may or may not be ulcerated.
Spreading
Stage 3 melanoma can be diagnosed for any size tumor. When initial tests indicate that the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, it is considered to be in Stage 3. The mole does not have to be ulcerated to spread. Stage 4 melanoma is defined as cancerous cells that have spread from the initial site to other parts of the body, regardless of their size or condition.
Recurrent
Recurrent melanoma is a stage that may follow the initial bout of treatment. Recurrent melanoma is diagnosed when the cancer returns either in the form of cancerous skin cells at the same site as the first bout of the disease or as malignant tumors in any part of the body, such as the lungs or liver.
