What is the ABCD rule?

ABCDE stands for asymmetry, border, color, diameter and evolving. These are the characteristics of skin damage that doctors look for when diagnosing and classifying melanomas.

What does a skin cancer spot feel like?

Any unusual sore, lump, blemish, marking, or change in the way an area of the skin looks or feels may be a sign of skin cancer or a warning that it might occur. The area might become red, swollen, scaly, crusty or begin oozing or bleeding. It may feel itchy, tender, or painful.

What does a melanoma lesion look like?

Border that is irregular: The edges are often ragged, notched, or blurred in outline. The pigment may spread into the surrounding skin. Color that is uneven: Shades of black, brown, and tan may be present. Areas of white, gray, red, pink, or blue may also be seen.

What is a Macule skin lesion?

Macules are flat, nonpalpable lesions usually < 10 mm in diameter. Macules represent a change in color and are not raised or depressed compared to the skin surface. A patch is a large macule.

Are cancerous lumps red?

In most cases, cancerous lumps are red and firm and sometimes turn into ulcers, while cancerous patches are usually flat and scaly. Non-melanoma skin cancer most often develops on areas of skin regularly exposed to the sun, such as the face, ears, hands, shoulders, upper chest and back.

How do you know if skin cancer has spread?

If your melanoma has spread to other areas, you may have:

Hardened lumps under your skin.
Swollen or painful lymph nodes.
Trouble breathing, or a cough that doesn’t go away.
Swelling of your liver (under your lower right ribs) or loss of appetite.
Bone pain or, less often, broken bones.

What color are lesions?

Certain colors are generally associated with melanocytic lesions, including shades of tan, brown or black and occasional patches of red, white or blue.