Melanoma

What Is Melanoma?

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that develops from melanocytes, the specialized cells responsible for producing the pigment that gives skin its color. While melanoma accounts for a smaller proportion of all skin cancer diagnoses compared with basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, it is responsible for the large majority of skin cancer deaths, reflecting its greater potential to spread to other parts of the body.¹

Melanoma most often develops on skin that has been exposed to significant sun over a lifetime, though it can also arise in areas that receive little or no sun exposure, including under the nails, on the palms and soles, and, less commonly, within the eye or other internal tissues containing pigment producing cells.¹

Early detection dramatically improves outcomes, since melanoma caught before it has spread beyond the skin is highly treatable, while melanoma diagnosed after spreading to other organs becomes considerably more difficult to treat successfully, underscoring why recognizing early warning signs matters so much.¹

Melanomas develop when unrepaired DNA damage to skin cells, most often caused by ultraviolet radiation, triggers gene mutations that lead skin cells to multiply rapidly and form malignant tumors.
National Cancer Institute

Symptoms

The most common early sign of melanoma is a change in an existing mole, whether in its shape, color, size, or texture, though melanoma can also appear as an entirely new, unusual colored area on skin that previously appeared normal.²

Dermatologists commonly teach the ABCDE rule to help identify potentially concerning lesions: asymmetry, in which one half of a mole does not match the other; irregular borders that appear ragged or blurred; uneven coloring; a diameter larger than a pencil eraser; and evolution, meaning any noticeable change in a mole over time.²

Beyond changes visible through the ABCDE framework, melanomas can also itch, bleed, become tender, or develop small satellite spots nearby, and any of these changes in a new or existing skin lesion warrant prompt evaluation by a dermatologist.¹

Causes

The majority of melanomas result from cumulative DNA damage within skin cells caused by ultraviolet radiation, whether from natural sunlight or artificial sources such as tanning beds. This damage triggers genetic mutations that allow affected cells to multiply uncontrollably and eventually form a tumor.¹

Research has specifically linked intense, intermittent sun exposure, along with a history of sunburns, to significantly elevated melanoma risk, with a history of frequent sunburns associated with roughly double the risk compared with people who have rarely been sunburned.³

Beyond ultraviolet exposure, other factors contribute to melanoma development as well, including genetic predisposition and, according to some research, certain lifestyle factors such as alcohol consumption, which has been identified as a potential non ultraviolet related environmental risk factor worth continued study.⁴

Risk Factors

Fair skin that burns easily, light colored eyes, red or blond hair, and a tendency toward numerous freckles all meaningfully increase melanoma risk, reflecting reduced natural pigment protection against ultraviolet damage.²

A personal history of numerous moles, particularly atypical or dysplastic moles, raises melanoma risk considerably, and a family history of melanoma, present in five to ten percent of diagnosed patients, further increases individual risk, with having at least one affected close relative more than doubling overall likelihood of developing the disease.¹

Advancing age is associated with increased melanoma risk, reflecting cumulative lifetime sun exposure, and a personal history of a prior melanoma or other skin cancer also meaningfully raises the likelihood of developing an additional melanoma over time.¹

Complications

Left undetected and untreated, melanoma can spread beyond the skin to nearby lymph nodes and, eventually, to distant organs including the lungs, liver, brain, and bones, a process called metastasis that significantly worsens overall prognosis.⁵

Once melanoma has spread to distant organs, particularly the liver, or when blood tests reveal elevated levels of a specific enzyme called lactate dehydrogenase, survival outcomes tend to be meaningfully worse compared with more limited or localized spread.⁶

Treatment itself can also cause complications, particularly with immune based therapies now commonly used for advanced melanoma, which can trigger immune related side effects affecting various organs throughout the body, ranging from mild to, less commonly, quite serious in nature.⁷

Treatment

Surgical removal remains the primary treatment for melanoma detected at an early stage, aiming to completely excise the tumor along with an appropriate margin of surrounding healthy tissue to reduce recurrence risk.⁵

For more advanced melanoma that has spread beyond the original skin site, immunotherapy has transformed treatment outcomes over the past decade. Immune checkpoint inhibitors, including medications targeting the CTLA4 and PD1 pathways, work by releasing natural brakes on the immune system, allowing it to more effectively recognize and attack melanoma cells throughout the body.⁷

Ipilimumab, approved in 2011, was the first checkpoint inhibitor shown to improve survival in advanced melanoma, and subsequent approvals of additional checkpoint inhibitors, sometimes used in combination, have further improved overall survival rates for patients with metastatic disease. Targeted therapies addressing specific genetic mutations found in some melanomas offer additional treatment options for appropriately selected patients.⁷

Prevention

Limiting ultraviolet exposure represents the most effective and well established melanoma prevention strategy, including avoiding tanning beds entirely, seeking shade during peak sun hours, and consistently using broad spectrum sunscreen on exposed skin.³

Wearing protective clothing, including wide brimmed hats and sunglasses that block ultraviolet light, further reduces cumulative sun exposure over a lifetime, meaningfully lowering long term melanoma risk alongside consistent sunscreen use.³

Regular skin self examinations, along with periodic professional skin checks by a dermatologist, particularly for people with numerous moles or other significant risk factors, allow for early detection of any concerning changes, when melanoma remains most treatable.¹

Why Visual Communication Matters for Melanoma

Explaining the ABCDE warning signs, how ultraviolet radiation damages DNA within skin cells, or how immunotherapy works by releasing the immune system’s natural brakes requires visuals that make both prevention and treatment genuinely understandable to patients navigating a cancer diagnosis.²

Pharmaceutical companies, dermatology and oncology practices, and public health organizations rely on precise illustration and animation to explain melanoma biology, warning signs, and the rapidly evolving treatment landscape.

• Illustrating the ABCDE warning signs for public health and patient education campaigns
• Animating how ultraviolet radiation damages DNA and triggers melanoma formation
• Explaining the mechanism of action for immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies
• Visualizing melanoma staging and how spread affects treatment and prognosis
• Supporting patient education on sun protection and skin self examination
• Creating training materials for clinicians on immunotherapy side effect management

How Biotic Artlab Supports Melanoma Communication

We work with pharmaceutical companies, dermatology and oncology practices, and public health organizations to create accurate, engaging visuals that make melanoma biology, prevention, and treatment easier to understand for patients and clinicians.

• Custom 3D animations of melanocyte biology and tumor development
• Detailed illustrations of ABCDE warning signs for prevention campaigns
• Mechanism of action animations for immunotherapy and targeted therapies
• Patient facing educational materials on sun protection and early detection
• Clinical training content for oncology and dermatology teams
• Conference presentations and marketing visuals for oncology audiences

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ABCDE rule for melanoma?

It stands for asymmetry, irregular border, uneven color, diameter larger than a pencil eraser, and evolution or change over time, five characteristics that can help identify a mole warranting evaluation by a dermatologist.²

Can melanoma develop in areas that never get sun exposure?

Yes. While most melanomas relate to cumulative sun exposure, the disease can also develop on the palms, soles, under the nails, or within the eye, areas that receive little or no direct sun exposure.¹

How has melanoma treatment changed in recent years?

Immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors, has significantly improved survival for patients with advanced melanoma over the past decade, offering meaningfully better outcomes than were available with older treatment approaches.⁷

Is melanoma always caused by sun exposure?

While ultraviolet exposure is the leading cause, genetic factors, family history, and, according to some research, other lifestyle factors also contribute to melanoma risk, meaning the disease can occasionally develop even in people with limited sun exposure.⁴

Why is early detection so important for melanoma?

Melanoma detected before it spreads beyond the skin is highly treatable through surgical removal alone, while melanoma that has spread to other organs becomes considerably more difficult to treat, making early recognition of warning signs critical.¹

What are immune related side effects of melanoma immunotherapy?

Checkpoint inhibitor therapies can trigger the immune system to attack healthy tissue as well as cancer cells, potentially causing side effects affecting the digestive system, hormone producing glands, skin, and other organs, ranging from mild to occasionally serious.⁷

Have a Project in Mind? Contact Us.

If you are developing patient education materials, clinical training content, or marketing visuals related to melanoma or skin cancer, our team can help translate the science into visuals that are both accurate and easy to understand. Contact us at info@biotic-artlab.com or get in touch through our contact form to discuss your project.

References

1. National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls. Malignant Melanoma.
2. National Cancer Institute. Common Moles, Dysplastic Nevi, and Risk of Melanoma.
3. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Sun Exposure and Melanoma, Certainties and Weaknesses of the Present Knowledge.
4. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Alcohol as a Non UV Social Environmental Risk Factor for Melanoma.
5. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Melanoma Management, Exploring Staging, Prognosis, and Treatment Innovations.
6. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Validation of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Eighth Edition Staging of Patients With Metastatic Cutaneous Melanoma Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.
7. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Melanoma, Mechanisms, Immune Cell Interactions, and the Tumour Microenvironment.

Disclaimer: This page provides general educational information and is not a substitute for diagnosis, treatment, emergency care, or individualized advice from a qualified healthcare professional.