UT Southwestern’s melanoma specialists offer extensive expertise and experience, along with innovative therapies to detect skin cancer early and treat melanoma.

What Is Melanoma?

Melanoma – also called malignant melanoma – is an aggressive type of skin cancer that develops in the skin cells that produce melanin (melanocytes).

• Melanoma can occur anywhere on the body – even under the nails and in the mucous membranes. In people with dark skin, it commonly occurs on the soles of the feet and the palms.
• The disease has become more prevalent in the past several decades, with an estimated 100,000 new cases diagnosed in the U.S. in 2025.
• Melanoma comprises only about 1% of skin cancer cases – making it the rarest form of skin cancer – but it causes the highest number of skin cancer-related deaths.
• Melanoma is the fifth most common type of cancer among men, the sixth most common among women, and one of the most common cancers among young adults.
• Melanoma has a higher risk of spreading to other parts of the body (metastasizing) than many other types of cancer.
• In 2025, an estimated 8,430 people died of melanoma in the U.S.

Why Choose UT Southwestern for Melanoma Treatment?

As the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in North Texas, UT Southwestern delivers the best cancer care available and pushes to discover new treatments that will lead to brighter futures.

Our experts diagnose and treat all types of skin cancer – from the most common to the very rare – and deliver the advanced screening, precise diagnostics, and pioneering treatments that are leading to better-than-ever patient outcomes. Our team works closely with patients to develop tailored care plans that are based on each person’s unique condition, overall health, and treatment goals and preferences.

Highlights of our program include:

• An integrated, multidisciplinary team that includes dermatologists, surgical and radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, pathologists, and radiologists – all of whom take a personalized, evidence-based approach to skin cancer diagnosis and care
• A focus on screening, early detection, and accurate diagnoses – all key to successful skin cancer treatment
• The most sophisticated diagnostic tools available, including highly specialized dermatopathology testing and in-house molecular profiling
• Expertise in all types of skin cancer surgery, including Mohs surgery, tumor excision, and regional lymph-node dissection
• Leadership in the use of stereotactic radiosurgery – including tools such as the Gamma Knife and CyberKnife – to treat some cases of skin cancer
• Immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, which stimulate the immune system to target and kill skin cancer cells
• Targeted therapies, which use drugs to target abnormal proteins in tumor cells
• Opportunities for patients to enroll in clinical trials of promising new protocols aimed at improving skin cancer diagnoses and treatments that are not yet available to the public
• A comprehensive variety of cancer support services

What Are Melanoma Risk Factors?

Due to risk factors such as age, race, gender, and family history, melanoma can’t be completely prevented. For example:

• Melanoma is much more prevalent among Caucasians (1 in 33 lifetime risk) than it is among African Americans (1 in 1,000) and Hispanics (1 in 200).
• The risk of melanoma increases as people age. The average age at diagnosis is 66.
• Melanoma occurs more often in men than it does in women. More than 59,000 men and nearly 41,000 women in the U.S. were estimated to have been diagnosed with the disease in 2024.

But people can take steps to limit their risk for developing melanoma and improve their chances for early detection. Up to 90% of melanomas result from ultraviolet (UV) radiation overexposure; the sun is the most common source of UV that most people experience.

To reduce their sun exposure, we recommend that people:

• Stay in the shade
• Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF 30 rating or higher
• Wear protective clothing when in the sun, including a long-sleeved shirt, hat, and protective sunglasses
• Avoid tanning beds, which also generate UV rays

In addition, we recommend that everyone regularly examine their skin for abnormal moles.

How Is Melanoma Diagnosed?

UT Southwestern’s skin cancer specialists offer the following tests to evaluate and diagnose melanoma. All diagnostic tests help us determine the most appropriate, evidence-based course of treatment.

• Biopsy: If a spot on the skin appears to be cancerous or precancerous, a small sample of the suspicious tissue is removed for microscopic evaluation by a dermatopathologist. If melanoma is confirmed, additional testing is conducted to determine its exact type and to identify any abnormal genes, including the melanoma BRAF gene. Knowing the specifics of a melanoma’s genetic makeup can sometimes help doctors determine the treatment most likely to benefit each patient.
• Imaging: Technologies such as computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and X-rays might be used to determine if melanoma has spread to other parts of the body.

How Is Melanoma Treated?

UT Southwestern offers a range of advanced therapies that have helped many people with melanoma – including metastatic melanoma – live well for years after diagnosis. Melanoma treatment options include:

• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Immunotherapy
• Chemotherapy
• Targeted therapy

Learn more about melanoma treatment.