mole’s a problem. ‘D’ is just for being different, and ‘E’ is for a mole that’s sort of starting to evolve and change a little bit.”
He advises that itchy moles or ones you’re suddenly aware of could be early signs of melanoma, while bleeding moles may indicate more advanced stages of the disease.
Stages of melanoma
According to the ACS, the stages of melanoma are:
- Stage 0: The cancer is only on the skin’s outer layer
- Stage I: The tumor is less than 2 mm thick and hasn’t spread beyond the skin
- Stage II: The tumor is at least 1 to 4 mm thick and hasn’t spread beyond the skin
- Stage III: The primary tumor can vary in size or not be visible, and the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes or areas of the skin
- Stage IV: The tumor has spread to distant lymph nodes or organs
Melanoma treatments
Scripps states that melanoma treatments include:
- Surgery to remove the cancer
- Chemotherapy and radiation
- Immunotherapy drugs
- Targeted gene and protein therapy
One study published recently in the journal Cancer Discovery found that certain mRNA vaccines combined with immunotherapy helped reduce the risk of melanoma tumors returning, although more research is needed before this treatment is broadly available.
Early detection is also key to better melanoma outcomes, according to Greenway.
“You probably ought to have your skin checked once a year,” he recommends. “We know that if we can make the diagnosis [early], we can cure it with greater than 99% [cure rate] in most people.”