Symptoms of Melanoma

List of symptoms of Melanoma:

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Melanoma includes the 13 symptoms listed below:

• Melanoma can start in a mole or in normal skin
• Unusual mole features
  • Change in a mole
  • Abnormal mole - e.g. an "ugly" mole
  • ABCD mole features - asymmetry, border, color and diameter.
  • Asymmetric mole - irregularly shaped mole
  • Mole edge irregularity
  • Mole color irregularity - the color of the mole is variable
  • Mole diameter - a large mole with a wide diameter
  • Growing mole
• Newly pigmented skin area
• Darkened area under nail
• See also symptoms of ocular melanoma

Note that Melanoma symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Melanoma signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor.

More ways to research these symptoms: To research other symptoms use the symptom center, or to research causes of more than one symptom in combination, try our multi-symptom search.

Research More About Melanoma

Do I have Melanoma?

• Melanoma: Introduction
• Melanoma: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
• Home Diagnostic Testing
• Alternative diagnoses and misdiagnosis for Melanoma
• How serious is it?
• Treatments for Melanoma
• More about Melanoma

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical tests related to Melanoma:

• Colon & Rectal Cancer: Home Testing
  • Home Colorectal Cancer Tests
  • Home Fecal Occult Bleeding Tests

Wrongly Diagnosed with Melanoma?

The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Melanoma includes:

• Mole - not all unusual moles are cancerous; normal people can have many moles; they may be flat or raised; they usually grow slowly or may disappear with age.
• Dysplastic nevi - the proper name for non-cancerous abnormal moles
• Acquired nevus
• Seborrheic keratosis
• Lentigo

See the full list of 19 alternative diagnoses for Melanoma

More about symptoms of Melanoma:

More information about symptoms of Melanoma and related conditions:

• Other diseases with similar symptoms and common misdiagnoses
• Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Melanoma
• Symptoms that may be caused by complications of Melanoma
• Underlying causes of Melanoma
• Risk factors for Melanoma

Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

• ABCD mole features - see all causes of Mole symptoms
• Abnormal mole - see all causes of Mole symptoms
• Asymmetric mole - see all causes of Mole symptoms
• Change in a mole - see all causes of Mole symptoms
• Darkened area under nail - see all causes of Nail symptoms
• Growing mole - see all causes of Mole symptoms
• Mole color irregularity - see all causes of Mole symptoms
• Mole diameter - see all causes of Mole symptoms
• Mole edge irregularity - see all causes of Mole symptoms
• Unusual mole features - see all causes of Mole symptoms

Medical Books Online about Melanoma

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Full text. Free access without registration. The full text of published medical book chapters related to Melanoma is available from published medical books for more detailed information about Melanoma.

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

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Symptoms of Melanoma: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review the full text of medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Melanoma.

Malignant melanoma: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Common sites for melanoma are on the head and neck in men, on the legs in women, and on the backs of persons exposed to excessive sunlight. Up to 70% arise from a preexisting nevus. It rarely appears in the conjunctiva, choroid, pharynx, mouth, vagina, or anus.

Suspect melanoma when any skin lesion or nevus enlarges, changes color, becomes inflamed or sore, itches, ulcerates, bleeds, undergoes textural changes, or shows signs of surrounding pigment regression (halo nevus or vitiligo). (See Recognizing potentially malignant nevi, page 134.)

Each type of melanoma has special characteristics:

❑Superficial spreading melanoma, the most common, usually develops between ages 40 and 50. Such a lesion arises on an area of chronic irritation. In women, it's most common between the knees and ankles; in Blacks and Asians, on the toe webs and soles (lightly pigmented areas subject to trauma). Characteristically, this melanoma has a red, white, and blue color over a brown or black background and an irregular, notched margin. Its surface is irregular, with small, elevated tumor nodules that may ulcerate and bleed. Horizontal growth may continue for many years; when vertical growth begins, prognosis worsens.

❑Nodular melanoma usually develops between ages 40 and 50, grows vertically, invades the dermis, and metastasizes early. Such a lesion is usually a polypoidal nodule, with uniformly dark discoloration (it may be grayish), and looks like a blackberry. Occasionally, this melanoma is flesh-colored, with flecks of pigment around its base (possibly inflamed).

❑Lentigo maligna melanoma is relatively rare. It arises from a lentigo maligna on an exposed skin surface and usually occurs between ages 60 and 70. This lesion looks like a large (3- to 6-cm) flat freckle of tan, brown, black, whitish, or slate color and has irregularly scattered black nodules on the surface. It develops slowly, usually over many years, and eventually may ulcerate. This melanoma commonly develops under the fingernails, on the face, and on the back of the hands.

READ FULL BOOK TEXT ONLINE »

Malignant melanoma: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

Common sites for melanoma are on the head and neck in men, on the legs in women, and on the backs of people exposed to excessive sunlight. Up to 70% arise from a preexisting nevus. They rarely appear in the conjunctiva, choroid, pharynx, mouth, vagina, or anus.

Suspect melanoma by using the ABCD Rule of Melanoma:

Asymmetry of borders

Bleeding or crusting

Color blue/black or variegated

Diameter greater than 2¼" (5.7 cm).

Each type of melanoma has special characteristics:

❑ Superficial spreading melanoma arises on chronically sun-exposed areas, such as the legs and upper back. Characteristically, it has a red, white, and blue color over a brown or black background and an irregular, notched margin. Its surface is irregular, with small, elevated tumor nodules that may ulcerate and bleed. Horizontal growth may continue for many years; when vertical growth begins, the prognosis worsens.

❑ Nodular malignant melanoma occurs more commonly in men and can be located anywhere on the body. It’s the most frequently misdiagnosed melanoma because it resembles a blood blister or polyp.

❑ Lentigo maligna melanoma commonly develops under the fingernails, on the face, and on the backs of the hands. This lesion looks like a large (1" to 2" [2.5- to 5-cm]), flat freckle of tan, brown, black, whitish, or slate color, and has irregularly scattered black nodules on the surface. It develops slowly, usually over many years, and eventually may ulcerate.

❑ Acral-lentiginous melanoma is more common in Asian and Black individuals.

READ FULL BOOK TEXT ONLINE »

Lymphomas, malignant: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

Usually, the first indication of malignant lymphoma is swelling of the lymph glands, enlarged tonsils and adenoids, and painless, rubbery nodes in the cervical or supraclavicular areas. In children, these nodes are usually in the cervical region, and the disease causes dyspnea and coughing.

As the lymphoma progresses, the patient develops symptoms specific to the area involved and systemic signs and symptoms, such as fatigue, malaise, weight loss, fever, and night sweats.

READ FULL BOOK TEXT ONLINE »

Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Melanoma:

Skin Cancer: NWHIC (Excerpt)

Malignant melanoma usually begins as a mottled, light brown to black flat blemish with irregular edges and is at least one-quarter inch in size. It can turn red, blue or white, or bleed and crust on the surface. (Source: excerpt from Skin Cancer: NWHIC)

What You Need To Know About Melanoma: NCI (Excerpt)

Melanoma can occur on any skin surface. In men, it is often found on the trunk (the area from the shoulders to the hips) or the head and neck. In women, melanoma often develops on the lower legs. Melanoma is rare in black people and others with dark skin. When it does develop in dark-skinned people, it tends to occur under the fingernails or toenails, or on the palms or soles. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Melanoma: NCI)

What You Need To Know About Melanoma: NCI (Excerpt)

Often, the first sign of melanoma is a change in the size, shape, color, or feel of an existing mole. Most melanomas have a black or blue-black area. Melanoma also may appear as a new, black, abnormal, or "ugly-looking" mole.

If you have a question or concern about something on your skin, do not use these pictures to try to diagnose it yourself. Pictures are useful examples, but they cannot take the place of a doctor's examination.

Thinking of "ABCD" can help you remember what to watch for:

• Asymmetry -- The shape of one half does not match the other.

• Border -- The edges are often ragged, notched, blurred, or irregular in outline; the pigment may spread into the surrounding skin.

• Color -- The color is uneven. Shades of black, brown, and tan may be present. Areas of white, grey, red, pink, or blue also may be seen.

• Diameter -- There is a change in size, usually an increase. Melanomas are usually larger than the eraser of a pencil (5 mm or 1/4 inch).

Melanomas can vary greatly in the ways they look. Many show all of the ABCD features. However, some may show changes or abnormalities in only one or two of the ABCD features.

Early melanomas may be found when a pre-existing mole changes slightly -- such as forming a new black area. Other frequent findings are newly formed fine scales or itching in a mole. In more advanced melanoma, the texture of the mole may change. For example, it may become hard or lumpy. Although melanomas may feel different and more advanced tumors may itch, ooze, or bleed, melanomas usually do not cause pain. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Melanoma: NCI)

Melanoma as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions

When considering symptoms of Melanoma, it is also important to consider Melanoma as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Melanoma may cause:

• Acanthosis nigricans
• Blue nails
• Bone metastases
• Bone pain
• Cerebral metastases
• Cutaneous metastasis
• Cutaneous nodules
• Hyperpigmentation
• Hypopigmentation
• Lung metastases
• Lymphadenopathy
• Pathological fracture
• Pruritus
• Red cell production reduced
• Renal metastases
• Skin ulceration
• Urine color abnormal

Medical articles and books on symptoms:

These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:

• Diagnostic Testing for a Diagnosis of Melanoma
• Research Alternative Diagnoses for Melanoma
• How serious is Melanoma?
• More about Melanoma
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Lesser known silent killer diseases
• Books on signs and symptoms

Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

About signs and symptoms of Melanoma:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Melanoma. This signs and symptoms information for Melanoma has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Melanoma signs or Melanoma symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Melanoma may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Melanoma symptoms.