Melanomas

5% of what we see
Can spread or metastasise if left long enough
Usually looks like a freckle or mole
Risk factors – complexion and mole count –
- Skin that freckles and burns easily
- High mole count – more than 50 moles on your body or 20 moles on your arms and legs
80% of melanomas arise as a new mole
20% arise from a pre-existing mole
Subtypes:
Melanoma in situ (MIS)
- confined to the very top layer of skin, the epidermis
- Not exposed to blood vessels
- don’t metastasise
- Cut out with a 5mm margin
Invasive melanomas (Mis)
- Worsening prognosis the deeper they get
- Less than 0.8mm deep generally cut out with 1 cm margin
- More than 0.8mm deep may need a specialist clinic review and sentinel lymph node biopsy and therapy

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