What’s The Point Of A Melanoma Biopsy.

Melanoma is the rarest but most dangerous of the three types of skin cancer. It is potentially life threatening because it will often spread to other parts of the body. This makes it hard to treat and it can damage or destroy vital organs leading to secondary complications. The key to surviving melanoma is prevention combined with early detection. In most cases, if the disease is detected early on it can be treated successfully. Part of the detection process is a melanoma biopsy. This is often done on a suspicious mole or mark on the skin. It gives more information about the extent to which the cancer has spread and possible ways to treat the cancer.

The most common forms of melanoma biopsy are excisional and incisional. An excisional will remove all the cancerous cells. An incisional biopsy will take a deep sample of the cells, leaving the rest of the cells on the skin.

Excisional biopsies are preferred as they remove all the potential cancerous growth. They will generally take a part of the skin surrounding the mark too. Incisional biopsies are normally performed when the growth is quite large and it would be impractical to take such a large part of the skin away. Or, the suspected cancer was in a delicate or visible location, like the face, and might leave an unsightly scar or wound.

The process of taking a sample or removing the growth is fairly straightforward. It can be performed in the doctors clinic or at a skin cancer center. The patient remains conscious throughout the procedure and a local anesthetic is applied to the part of the body where the growth is located.

The removed tissue can then be closely examined. This is done by a pathologist who will determine if the cells in question are malignant. If they are determined to be malignant, further details will be established. One important detail is the depth of the melanoma. This can indicate the progression of the disease and give your doctor information on possible treatments.

Getting a melanoma biopsy is the best way to confirm the true extent of a suspicious mark or mole. It is only done after an initial consultation with a skin care specialist. The details that are returned from the biopsy are used to understand how far the cancer has progressed and the best way to treat the disease.

Early and conclusive detection of melanoma growths are vital to treating the disease effectively. If found early, the tissues can be cut out. If it has spread then aggressive cancer treatments may be required.

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Get more details on common skin cancer symptoms and the different types of skin cancers