KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — May 2 marked Melanoma Monday, a day meant to raise awareness of the symptoms and causes of one of the deadliest kinds of skin cancers.
Health experts with the University of Tennessee Medical Center said around one out of every 50 Americans will develop melanoma at some point in their lives. On average, people are diagnosed with it at 50 years old — younger than the average of most other kinds of cancer diagnoses.
Melanoma is also the most common kind of skin cancer in people between 25 years old and 29 years old. Health experts said people should perform regular skin exams to prevent melanoma from developing, using the ABCDE rule guide.
That guide is available below and can be used to differentiate between possible melanoma spots on a person's skin and other kinds of common blemishes.
- A — Asymmetry, when one half of a spot is unlike the other half.
- B — Border, the spot has an irregular or poorly defined border.
- C — Color, the spot has varying colors from one area to the next, such as shades of tan, brown or black as well as areas of white, red or blue
- D — Diameter, melanomas are usually greater than 6 mm, or around the size of a pencil eraser. When diagnosed though, they can be smaller.
- E — Evolving, melanomas can look different from other kinds of blemishes. It can change size, shape or color over time.
Sometimes, melanomas can first appear as a bruise that does not heal, or as a dark streak under a nail. Health experts also said having five or more sunburns can double a person's risk for melanoma. It can be treated if caught early, though.