Is the melanoma recognizable as a brown spot? After treatment with the laser, the former melanoma remains visible as a brown spot. However, there are no vital tumor cells left and growth is stopped.
What is a typical melanoma?
Commonly affected areas are the chest and back in men and the lower legs in women. A typical melanoma is a flat, dark, irregularly colored patch of skin. It may be brown to black, bluish, reddish, or rarely white, and may also have skin-colored areas.
How long does malignant melanoma remain without symptoms? A malignant melanoma often remains completely without symptoms for a long time. One sign is skin changes, but these are often so minimal that they can only be detected during examination by a physician.
What are the symptoms of patients with melanoma of the skin? Appearance and symptoms. Usually, patients with malignant melanoma of the skin have no symptoms at the time of diagnosis. Occasionally, itching or a small bleed from the tumor will prompt a visit to the doctor.
What is melanoma or black skin cancer?
Melanoma or black skin cancer is an extremely malignant skin tumor. It is considered the most dangerous form of all skin cancers because it can lead to daughter tumors in one in five people affected. Melanoma develops mainly in areas that have been exposed to the sun.
Why do we speak of malignant melanoma or black skin cancer?
Malignant melanoma or black skin cancer is when a malignant tumor develops from the pigment-forming cells of the skin. Malignant means that the tumor grows and can spread in the body.
What are the chances of cure for malignant melanoma? The therapy and the chances of recovery from malignant melanoma depend first of all decisively on the tumor thickness and thus on the stage of the disease. If the tumor is still thin and grows only in the epidermis, the chances of complete recovery are greatest.
What is melanoma in men?
Commonly affected areas are the chest and back in men and the lower legs in women. A typical melanoma is a flat, dark, irregularly colored patch of skin.
What are the risks of black skin cancer?
Their growth gets out of control and they form growths that keep spreading - black skin cancer or also called malignant melanoma. The risk is highest from the age of about 50, but younger people are also at risk.
What is the visible sign of malignant melanoma?
The classic visible sign of malignant melanoma is a change in the color, size, diameter, or general shape of a pigmented mole, such as a birthmark or mole ( nevus ).
How long does it take for melanoma to develop? The change may occur over the course of months to years and may be gradual, so that the affected person does not notice it at first. Itching, tenderness or other unusual discomfort in the area of a nevus may also be associated with the development of melanoma.
Is the first diagnosis possible in malignant melanoma?
In the case of malignant melanoma (black skin cancer), the initial diagnosis is usually possible on the basis of the appearance of the skin change alone and without taking a tissue sample from the skin tumor. The ABCDE rule provides a rough guide: the more criteria the skin change meets, the more likely it is a malignant melanoma.
How many people in Switzerland develop malignant melanoma? Around 2,700 people are diagnosed with malignant melanoma in Switzerland every year. Switzerland thus has the eighth highest melanoma rate in the world. Since diagnosis is nowadays usually successful at an early stage, the chances of cure have increased significantly.
What types of melanoma differ in appearance?
There are four types of melanoma, which differ in appearance: Superficial (= superficial) spreading melanoma (SSM): In about 55 to 60 out of 100 people with black skin cancer, melanomas grow relatively slowly and preferentially on the surface of the skin. Nodular (= nodular) melanoma:
Is melanoma still thin and growing throughout the body? Course of the disease. If a melanoma is still thin and grows only in the epidermis, the chances of cure are 100%. If the tumor penetrates into the second layer of skin, the so-called dermis, it may gain access to the blood and lymph vessels and may thus spread throughout the body.
How can malignant melanoma be detected?
The dermatologist can usually recognize a malignant melanoma by its appearance. He usually uses a dermatoscope or reflected-light microscope for the examination. This is a type of magnifying glass with which the dermatologist can examine pigment spots and other skin discolorations more closely.
What is the appearance of malignant melanoma? General appearance of malignant melanoma. Malignant melanoma may appear as a brown to blue-black, pigmented, flat or nodular raised tumor. Occasionally, central (in the middle) portions of a malignant melanoma show regression tendencies; in these cases, pigment-free areas may appear.