|
MELANOMA FEATURES |
BACK
PROCEED 
|
|
|
|
|
Everything starts up with a single skin
spot that has not been there before or changed its shape aspect over
time. Whenever it comes to assessing pigmented spots on the skin
surface, the application of the "ABCD rule" is helpful to decide whether
or not to take further action and to let the lesion clarified through
taking a biopsy.
The ABCD RULE comprises the following aspect criteria:
"A": ASYMMETRY - the lesion has an asymmetrical shape, with one
half of the lesion being different from the other one.
"B": BORDER IRREGULARITY - the border contour line is uneven,
displaying indentations and protrusions towards the surrounding skin
surface.
"C": COLOR VARIEGATION - the color distribution within the
pigmented lesion appears irregular, exhibiting areas of hyper- and/or
hypopigmentation. Often, several distinct color tints can be found.
"D" DIAMETER - the diametrical length exceeds 5 mm and has
enlarged over time (which could be referred to as "E, however, this
information can not be seen).
Checking the ABCD criteria in any pigmented lesion of concern on a
regular (monthly) basis is easy and can be done by everyone as a private
prevention scheme. If these early melanoma signs are overlooked,
melanoma enlarges steadily over time (radial growth phase), eventually
developing more or less pronounced nodules within the affected area
(vertical growth phase), thereby indicating a worsening of prognosis. It
is of utmost importance to pick melanoma as early as possible to assure
curability.
Please, click on the images to view more advanced stages of melanoma
development.
Helpful tools to assist in the assessment of pigmented skin lesions are
the MOLE-ANALYZER® and the easy-to-go educational software
MOLE ANALYSIS GUIDE.
|
|
|
|
|
