Melanoma: What is it and how can it be diagnosed?

By Cristiano Antonino On Jan 5, 2023

Melanoma is a malignant tumour of the skin and mucous membranes that originates from melanocytes, cells that produce melanin and aggregate, resulting in the formation of moles

Clinical features of melanoma

Melanoma develops most frequently in body areas most exposed to sunlight and in people with phototype I (fair skin, blue eyes, blond hair).

It can form either from pre-existing nevi (moles) or ex novo.

In the case of plane melanoma the ABCDE rule helps to distinguish a nevus from a melanoma:

Asymmetry: the melanoma is asymmetrical.

Edges: irregular, indented, map-like.

Colour: from black to various shades of brown.

Size: 6 mm or more.

Evolution: the lesion is clearly progressing with changes in morphology.

Age: usually onset in individuals over 15 years of age.

Elevation: appearance of a papule or nodule in the context of the pigmented lesion.

How can melanoma be diagnosed?

The videodermatoscopic test, commonly known as ‘mole mapping’, is a second-level, non-invasive, painless, specialist diagnostic test that consists of studying the microscopic features of nevi and all pigmented skin lesions that are not otherwise appreciable with the naked eye.

Despite health education campaigns, many patients claim that they have never had a dermatological examination to check their moles or that they had never heard of melanoma before diagnosis.

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