How is Melanoma diagnosed?

A melanoma on your skin (often referred to as a "primary" melanoma, because melanoma most ofter starts on your skin before it spreads) is first diagnosed visually. Your doctor will look at the melanoma and walk through the "ABCD's": Asymmetry, Border, Color, and Diameter.

If your doctor suspects that the mole is irregular, they will likely cut it out and perform a biopsy. The biopsy will determine whether the mole is a melanoma or not.

If your doctor is trying to diagnose melanoma once it has already begun to spread, they will either cut the growth out and biopsy it, or if they can't cut it out, they will use a PET scan and a CT scan to determine if it is likely to be cancer.

You should also check out the info in the article pages:

http://www.foundhealth.com/melanoma/symptoms

http://www.foundhealth.com/melanoma/diagnosis