Prevention and Early Detection of Melanoma

• Prevention of Skin Cancer:  The best way to avoid melanoma is to minimize behaviors that put you at risk.  Here are links to sections of several pages that contain information on the prevention of melanoma.  The  American Academy of Dermatology  (AAD) has a pamphlet called the 'Dark Side of Tanning' which describes the ongoing effects of ultraviolet radiation on different skin types, and a set of brief articles on staying safe in the sun under the subtitle 'Safe Sun Tips'.  ' Block the Sun, Not the Fun' is a family-oriented, interactive program on sun safety with cartoons, games, and 'tips from the dermatologist' that can be printed out and hung 'on the fridge'.   The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a page describing how to protect children from the sun.  NCI has a technical document describing the current state of evidence in the scientific literature concerning melanoma prevention.
• Risk Factors for Melanoma: It is especially important for those with risk factors to implement behaviors for melanoma prevention.  There are several sections of melanoma pages dedicated to the description of risk factors.  The AAD has a page describing who is at risk for melanoma.  The AAD also has a form which you can fill out and submit that instantly tells you your level of risk.  Advocate Health Care has A Guide for Melanoma Patients that presents a brief, informative paragraph on melanoma risk factors.
• Early Detection of Melanoma: Early detection allows for the treatment of melanoma before the disease becomes more difficult to cure.  The Northeast Dermatology Associates has an informative paragraph describing the importance of early detection.  This link from the West Virginia Health Page describes the signs and symptoms of melanoma.  Advocate health has a description of the characteristics of abnormal moles that allows an individual to monitor his or her moles for danger signs.
• Self Examination for the detection of melanoma: Using information from the characteristics of abnormal moles page, you can do a survey of your skin looking for lesions that should be evaluated by a professional.  There are two sites where self exams are described and depicted graphically.  The first is from the AAD, and the second is from Advocate Health Care's Guide for melanoma patients.
• The Skin Cancer Bookstore: This is a commercial page offering a variety of books on skin cancer.  You can read descriptions and reviews of the books, as well as place an order to purchase the books you find useful.  There are several books on melanoma/skin cancer prevention.  One of the books sold on this page "Melanoma, Prevention, Detection, and Treatment" is reviewed independently at OncoLink, a site developed by the University of Pennsylvania's Cancer Center.
• The Experimental Ultraviolet Index:  This is a page sponsored by the EPA and it describes the Ultraviolet Index, a system for grading UV light exposure for a given day.  Index categories are broadcast on local news programs, and the details in the EPA's page will help you to interpret and take advantage of this information.  The page also describes how different factors, such as cloud cover and time of day, affect the extent of exposure to UV radiation.  Click here to see the UV Index category number in your area.
• The UV card: This page offers a credit-card-sized device that determines the intensity of UV exposure you are experiencing at any moment, and can be used to test the efficacy of your sunscreen.
• Solumbra: A commercial page where you can obtain information about clothing that protects you from the sun.

Diagnosis of Melanoma

• Pictures of Melanoma on the Skin:  There are several pages that contain pictures of melanoma.  Use the information you learned from the characteristics of abnormal moles page to see if you can identify abnormal characteristics present in these images.  The first page is from the  Loyola University Medical Education Network.  The second page is from UC Davis that has a tutorial with pictures of pigmented skin lesions and text that describes the characteristics of abnormal moles.  Different types of melanoma are shown and the tutorial at UC Davis also has images of the different types.
• Biopsy of Melanoma: When a mole with abnormal characteristics is identified by a dermatologist or primary care clinician, a specific process is followed for further evaluation.  First a biopsy is obtained.  Cancer Guide has a guide for patients that describes the different types of biopsies and how the biopsy is processed to yield a diagnosis.  The University of Wisconsin Department of Surgery has a page describing the information garnered from the biopsy and how it is used to determine treatment and prognosis.  A person who went through this biopsy process created a web page so others can have a better understanding of what happens.
• Staging of Melanoma: Using information from the biopsy the melanoma can be "staged".  Staging means describing the extent of the disease.  The NCI has a description of the staging of melanoma for patients, and a more technical description of the staging system.  OncoLink also has a description of the staging system for melanoma. Part of the staging process is determining the extent to which lymph nodes are involved.  The Cancer Control Journal contains an article describing the the assessment of lymph node involvement by melanoma. MD Anderson Oncolog also has such a description.  The Melanoma Patient Information Page has two forms you can fill out; one will tell you the stage of the melanoma if you know the characteristics of the tumor, and one will tell you the prognosis of a melanoma depending on tumor characteristics.
• Making the Diagnosis of Melanoma with a Microscope:  A pathologist looks at the skin biopsy to determine if melanoma is present.  You can learn what the pathologists see by following through this series of links.  First, you need to have an understanding of what normal skin looks like under the microscope.  Loyola University Dermatology has a tutorial on skin histology (skin under the microscope).  Click 'next' at the bottom of the screen to scroll through the images.  The Department of Dermatopathology at Indiana University has posted some images of melanoma under the microscope (scroll to the bottom of the page), and the Department of Dermatology at the University of Iowa's College of Medicine has posted such an image as well.
• Final Overview of Melanoma Diagnosis: This is a technical document reviewing the information contained in this section of links and is an overview of melanoma diagnosis.

Treatment of Melanoma

• Treatment Overview: The following links contain some basic general information about the treatment of melanoma.  A page from Johns Hopkins Oncology Center has an article describing melanoma treatment.  The Northeast Dermatology Associates also has a brief article describing melanoma treatment.  Dr. Silberman from Cedars-Saini Comprehensive Cancer Center has published an overview of the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma.  You can read the whole article, which is brief and informative, or scroll down to the section on treatment if you are only interested in treatment information.  Medicine Net has an excellent overview article on melanoma with a well written section on treatment options.  Again, read the whole article or scroll down to the sections of interest to you.  The Melanoma Patient Information Page has an extensive list of links to pages on melanoma treatment that vary from minimally to highly technical.  Scroll down to the section entitled 'Therapy'.
• Treatment as Described by Cancer Patients: These pages present treatment options and information by individuals who have experienced the challenges of cancer first hand.  Steve Dunn is a survivor of 'kidney cancer' who has collected information on how to better understand clinical trials, and how you can become involved in one.

Melanoma Patient Resources and Patients' Stories

• Billy's Foundation For Melanoma Research:  A non-profit organization founded by a mother who lost her son to melanoma.  The group helps fund research, educational efforts, and public awareness campaigns.  The page contains Billy's story and a description of his family's efforts against melanoma.
• Everything You Wanted to Know about Melanoma: ...but were afraid to ask.  Another page by a man with melanoma describing his experiences in journal format.  He also describes the characteristics of suspicious moles and has a set of useful links.
• Rob's Fight:  A sensitive account of the effects of melanoma by a woman who lost her fiancÚ to the disease.
• Dan's Melanoma Page: A man describes his experience of undergoing an excisional biopsy and sentinel node biopsy of his melanoma.
• Cancer Guide has a whole page dedicated to stories of patients living with cancer diagnoses.  One story is from a man who is an 18-year survivor of metastatic melanoma.
• Melanoma Support Group: A small support group for people with melanoma.  The group is local but tries to connect with other local groups.

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