Menu

Primary Care
Internal Medicine
Our MissionOur Team
CardiovascularDermatologicEndocrineENTGastrointestinalGenito-UrinaryHematologyImmunologyMusculoskeletalNeurologicOphthalmologyPsychiatricPulmonaryGLP-1 Medications
All Health ConditionsCardiovascularDermatologicEndocrineENTGastrointestinalGenito-UrinaryHematologyImmunologyMusculoskeletalNeurologicOphthalmologyPsychiatricPulmonary
Medication GuidePatient FormsYour First VisitPatient ResourcesLab VisitsSupplementsPatient PortalHIPAA PrivacyLocal VitalsFAQ
Outbreaks
Contact Us
Back to Directory

Melanoma

Melanoma is the most serious common skin cancer, arising from pigment cells and able to spread if not caught early. Regular skin checks make early, curable detection possible.

Dermatologic
Melanoma is a cancer of the melanocytes, the cells that give skin its pigment. It is less common than basal or squamous cell skin cancer but far more serious, because it can spread to lymph nodes and internal organs if it is not removed early. Caught at its earliest stage, however, melanoma is highly curable — which is why knowing the warning signs matters for everyone who lives in a sunny climate.

Causes and Risk Factors

Melanoma results from DNA damage in pigment cells, most often driven by ultraviolet (UV) exposure. According to the American Cancer Society, important risk factors include:
  • UV exposure and sunburns: Intense, intermittent sun exposure and blistering sunburns — especially in childhood — raise lifetime risk, as does any tanning bed use.
  • Many or unusual moles: Having more than 50 moles, or moles that are large and irregular (atypical nevi), increases risk.
  • Fair skin, freckling, and light hair: Melanoma can occur in any skin tone, but risk is highest in fair-skinned people.
  • Family or personal history: A close relative with melanoma, or a prior melanoma of your own, calls for regular professional skin checks.
  • A weakened immune system: Immune-suppressing medications and conditions such as chronic leukemia or lymphoma reduce the body's ability to repair and remove damaged cells.

Symptoms

Melanoma usually appears as a new dark spot or a changing mole. The ABCDE rule summarizes the warning signs:
  • A — Asymmetry: One half of the spot does not match the other.
  • B — Border: Edges are ragged, notched, or blurred.
  • C — Color: Multiple shades of brown, black, red, white, or blue within one spot.
  • D — Diameter: Larger than about 6 millimeters (a pencil eraser), though melanomas can be smaller.
  • E — Evolving: Any change in size, shape, color, or symptoms such as itching or bleeding.
  • The ugly duckling sign: A mole that looks or feels different from all your others deserves attention, even if it does not fit the letters above.

Diagnosis

A clinician inspects the spot, often with a lighted magnifier called a dermatoscope, and removes suspicious lesions for biopsy. Not every changing spot is cancer — irritated moles and inflamed patches of dermatitis are common mimics — but only a biopsy can say for certain. If melanoma is confirmed, its depth guides whether nearby lymph nodes should also be checked. Melanoma can also develop under a nail, on the soles of the feet, or in other rarely sun-exposed places, so a thorough examination covers the entire skin surface.

Treatment

Early melanoma is treated with surgical removal of the lesion plus a margin of healthy skin, which is curative for most thin melanomas. Deeper or more advanced disease may require lymph node evaluation and additional therapy, including immunotherapy medicines such as pembrolizumab that help the immune system attack cancer cells. After any melanoma, lifelong skin surveillance and strict sun protection are essential, and your care team will set a follow-up schedule that is typically most frequent in the first years after diagnosis.

Prevention

Daily broad-spectrum sunscreen, protective clothing and wide-brimmed hats, avoiding midday sun, and never using tanning beds meaningfully lower melanoma risk. In Florida's intense year-round sun, these habits matter for every member of the family, starting in childhood. Monthly self-checks and a yearly professional skin examination are the best insurance against a dangerous melanoma. The primary-care team at Zimmer Medical Group can examine changing moles promptly and coordinate rapid dermatology referral when a spot looks suspicious — schedule an appointment if something on your skin has changed.

Related Medications

Commonly prescribed medications for this condition

Pembrolizumab

Related resources

Keep exploring care topics from Zimmer Medical Group.