How long does it take for melanoma to develop?

Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
Updated on November 27, 2024
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The duration of melanoma development varies because melanoma is a type of skin cancer with a relatively high degree of malignancy. However, clinically, the types of melanoma are diverse, and the onset time generally correlates with the patient's clinical phenotype. For some superficial types of melanoma with low malignancy, it generally takes several years to develop. For highly malignant melanomas, the disease generally progresses rapidly within about six months to a year. Once melanoma progresses, it can affect multiple parts of the body and severely impact the patient's lifespan.

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The difference between melanoma and moles

Melanoma and moles are distinguishable; firstly, moles are generally smaller, while melanomas have a larger diameter. Secondly, the color of a mole is more uniform, whereas the color of a melanoma is inconsistent in depth. Furthermore, moles are typically symmetric in shape, while melanomas are asymmetric. Lastly, melanoma is a type of malignant tumor, whereas a mole is simply a skin condition.

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Melanoma is divided into several types.

Melanoma is a type of malignant tumor with a relatively high level of malignancy. The exact causes of melanoma are not very clear but may be related to multiple factors including genetics, irritation, viral infection, and immunity. Generally, there are four types of melanoma: nodular melanoma, superficial spreading melanoma, acral lentiginous melanoma, and lentigo maligna melanoma. Once melanoma occurs, it is crucial to seek prompt medical diagnosis and treatment.

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Written by Liu Jing
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How to diagnose melanoma

For the judgment of melanoma as a malignant tumor, it cannot solely rely on clinical experience. Instead, the skin lesion should undergo surgical excision. During the surgery, freezing can be scheduled, and the results of the freezing report will determine the scope of the surgery. The final diagnosis still depends on the paraffin section. The diagnostic gold standard is based on the pathological results, and only a pathology examination can determine whether the lesion is a malignant melanoma. Diagnosing such diseases requires extreme caution due to their high malignancy and ease of metastasis, which can endanger life. Standardized surgical excision is necessary, supplemented by chemotherapy and other methods.

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Does melanoma need to be excised?

Melanoma is a type of malignant tumor, which mostly develops from common melanocytic nevi. Once diagnosed with this disease, surgical removal is necessary. After the surgery, a full-body examination is also required to check whether the tumor cells have metastasized. If there is metastasis, further radiotherapy or chemotherapy is needed. If melanocytic nevi appear on the body, it is crucial to handle them properly, ideally by using laser treatment or surgical removal when they are relatively small to prevent the later formation of melanoma. If the melanocytic nevi cause pain, itching, or oozing after scratching, it might be a precursor to malignancy, and formal treatment is necessary.

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symptoms of melanoma bone metastasis

Once melanoma metastasizes, patients will experience significant pain, which will become increasingly severe and eventually unbearable. Having melanoma can also cause the bones to become brittle and prone to fractures and cracks. Once melanoma metastasizes, it also destroys the body's immune system, causing patients to suffer from long-term headaches and nausea, and making the body weaker.