Ask A Skin Doctor Malignant Melanoma ABCDE
Dear Doctor
Please help!! We just saw it on my hisbands leg yesterday.
Does it look like skin cancer?
Its small, not itching no bleeding, just looks a little scary to us. Worried what it can be?
And doe it look loke a skin cancer? Thank you much!!!
Dear Patient
Malignant Melanoma ABCDE
Malignant melanoma is a type of skin cancer which causes darkening of the lesions.
The danger signs associated with melanomas are known as the ABCDEs and they include:
A Asymmetry
This means that the lesion does not have a uniform appearance when both its sides are compared.
Your husband’s lesion has a slightly symmetrical pentagon shape with a surrounding circle.
B Borders
The borders of a melanoma are usually uneven and ragged.
Your husband’s lesion has scalloped and uneven borders.
C Color Variation
Melanomas tend to have color variations with different shades of brown, black, red and blue.
Your husband’s lesion has different shades of brown and red.
D Diameter
Melanomas are usually larger than 6 mm when first discovered.
I do not know the size of your husband’s lesion.
E Evolving
Melanomas usually change in size, color, shape and even begin bleeding or getting itchy or painful.
Since you discovered your husband’s lesions yesterday it is hard to say how it has been.
In view of the lack of prior history of the lesion and the ABCDE findings, I suggest you consult your nearest dermatologist and possibly get a skin biopsy since that is the only way we can say with certainty whether a suspicious skin lesion of unknown duration is either skin cancer or it is not cancerous.
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