Diagnosing Melanoma
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.
Staging Melanoma
Our physicians determine a melanoma’s stage – the severity and extent to which it has metastasized beyond the primary location – by considering these factors:
- The location(s) of the disease
- The thickness and other features of the primary melanoma tumor
- Whether – and to what extent – melanoma cells have spread to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body
- The results of a lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) blood test
Stages of Melanoma
There are five stages of melanoma:
- Stage 0 (in situ): Pre-melanoma that has the potential to become melanoma
- Stage I: Early, localized disease with no melanoma in the lymph nodes
- Stage II: Fairly early, fairly localized disease that is slightly more advanced than stage I, with no melanoma in the lymph nodes
- Stage III: Disease that has spread to areas in the skin near the primary location or the lymph nodes near the melanoma
- Stage IV (metastatic): Disease that has spread via the lymph nodes or the blood stream to distant parts of the body – most commonly the lungs, liver, bones, and brain.
