- Overview
- Solid Tumor Cancers
- Bladder Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Cervical Cancer
- Colon & Rectal
- Endometrial Cancer
- Kidney Cancer
- Lip & Oral Cancer
- Liver Cancer
- Melanoma
- Mesothelioma
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer
- Oral Cancer
- Ovarian Cancer
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Prostate Cancer
- Sarcoma
- Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Thyroid Cancer
- Blood Cancers
- Benign Blood Diseases
- Helpful Resources
Melanoma Diagnosis
If the doctor suspects that a spot on the skin is melanoma, the patient will need to have a biopsy. A biopsy is the only way to make a definite diagnosis. In this procedure, the doctor tries to remove all of the suspicious-looking growth. This is an excisional biopsy. If the growth is too large to be removed entirely, the doctor removes a sample of the tissue. The doctor will never “shave off” or cauterize a growth that might be melanoma.
A biopsy can usually be done in the doctor’s office using local anesthesia. A pathologist then examines the tissue under a microscope to check for cancer cells. Sometimes it is helpful for more than one pathologist to check the tissue for cancer cells.