Case 12

Section 3: Your Progress
62%

Melanoma or not?

Decide whether the following picture shows a Melanoma or not. Why do you think it is one or it isn’t?

Hover over or tip on the answer you think is right to read the explanation and find out if you were right or wrong.

Make a choice:

Is this a Melanoma?​

Yes
No

Your Mole Monitoring Guide

Need a reminder of the ABCDEFGSU meanings? Click here.

Tick the boxes that match with the picture to help make a decision.

Asymmetry
Border
Colour
Diameter
Evolution & Elevation
Firm
Growth
Sensation
Ugly Duckling
Yes
No
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This is a Melanoma. Typical characteristics are:
  • Diameter
  • Evolution
  • Firm
  • Growth
  • Asymmetry
  • Border
  • Colour
  • Sensation
  • Ugly Duckling

Note: This is a nodular melanoma, the most aggressive type of melanoma. On this image the lesion looks unremarkable. Nodular melanoma does not always tick the boxes on the ABCDE model and although the lesion looks very innocent, it can be deadly.

Can you notice anything else on the image? How about a white halo? This is not typically a sign of melanoma, although it can be an immune response.

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Asymmetry
A benign, healthy moles should be symmetrical. If we drew a line down the middle of a mole and had two different shapes then this could potentially be a sign of melanoma.
Border
A normal mole should have clear defined borders. A malignant melanoma may have blurred or notched borders. If you notched any of these or a lesion that fades into the skin, this can be a suspicious sign.
Colour
A normal mole should have a consistent, uniform colour. A mole that has more than one colour may be a sign of malignancy.
Diameter
Melanoma may be large. Anything above 6mm could be a sign of malignancy. The mole monitoring card has a 6mm notch cut out of the side. However, melanoma can be smaller than 6mm
Evolution
Melanoma will almost always change in some way. It may change in shape, size, colour and sensation. Something growing on the skin should not be ignored. This is a really consistent component part of the ABCDE model.
Firm
Nodular melanoma is a very aggressive form of skin cancer, that can grow internally as well as externally very rapidly. Any growth or change to the skin needs investigating, especially if you can feel a firm lump.
Growth
Melanoma can be very small and may not develop from a mole at all. It is important to have anything that is growing or changing on the skin investigated.
Sensation
Melanoma is often flagged up by a change in sensation to the skin, such as tingling, itching, burning or pain.
Ugly Duckling
Sometimes melanoma can look very different to your other freckles and is often referred to as the ‘Ugly duckling’.

This statement is FALSE.

Melanoma is currently the 5th most common cancer in the UK with over 17,000 cases and over 2000 deaths in the UK in 2019.

Every year the numbers grow substantially, with incidence rates up by 32% in the last decade, and yet there is still very little awareness in the public domain about what melanoma is and how it actually affects a person.

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