Skin Cancer

Melanoma can be found early. Any unusual sore, lump, blemish, marking, or change in the way an area of the skin looks or feels may be a sign of skin cancer. You should know the pattern of moles, freckles, and other marks on your skin so that you will notice any changes.

A normal mole is generally an evenly colored brown, tan, or black spot on the skin. Once a mole has developed, it will usually stay the same size, shape, and color for many years until it may eventually fade away. You should go and see a doctor right away when a mole changes its appearance (size, shape, or color) or when:

• One half of the mole does not match the other half
• The edges are ragged or notched
• The color of the mole is not the same all over, with shades of tan, brown, or black, and sometimes patches of red, blue, or white

Early diagnosis is the most important survival factor. Usually, it depends first on finding the lesion visually. Visible screening and early testing are so important. If you have a skin blemish that you are concerned about, call a physician at your local PET center or visit your physician.

When malignant melanoma is found - PET Scanning can help.

If you have a suspicious mole, you will need to have further tests to find out if it is malignant. To find out if it is cancerous, you will need to have a biopsy procedure. The doctor will take some of the cells and have them looked at under a microscope. If it turns out to be a melanoma, you may need to have additional tests.

Although many melanomas are curable, some spread so quickly that you could have other tumors in the lymph nodes, lungs, brain, or other places, even if the original skin melanoma is still small. This method of metastasizing also makes it very difficult to monitor recurrence. Melanoma that has spread to other parts of the body may not be found until long after the first melanoma has been removed from the skin. A PET scan can check to see if the cancer has spread.

PET is not usually useful in the non-melanoma types of skin cancer, because of the growth rates and patterns. However, PET is an important test to be done right after you are diagnosed with malignant melanoma.

A PET scan can accurately detect melanoma skin cancer and see if it may have spread. The high mortality rate of melanoma is because it spreads quickly through the lymphatic and blood systems.