Melanoma Clinic
Malignant melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer that affects patients of all ages, races and genders. Melanoma results from abnormal growth of melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin, which give the pigment and color to our skin. Melanoma appears on the skin and often grows quickly. It sometimes appears as an irregular-looking mole, but can present in many different forms.
Unlike other more common skin cancers such as squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, melanoma can easily spread to other organs. The first step to managing this disease is prompt diagnosis. Our physicians at Progressive Surgical Associates offer services including full-body skin exams, biopsies to test abnormal-looking skin lesions, imaging, genetic testing and the surgical treatment of malignant melanoma.
Your surgeon will determine the extent and type of treatment required to best combat your skin cancer. If surgery becomes necessary, our surgeons are skilled in Wide-Excision, a procedure that attempts to remove all of the melanoma from your skin. If our surgeons suspect that your lymph nodes could be involved, signaling that the melanoma is starting to spread, they may perform procedures known as Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy and lymph node dissections that aim to remove the disease-containing nodes. If chemotherapy or radiation treatments are necessary, we work closely with oncologists to provide you with the best chance for survival and cure of disease.
Progressive Surgical Associates is proud to offer numerous services including:
- Full-body skin exams ($50 if self-pay)
- Biopsy of suspicious skin lesions, sent to qualified pathologists to analyze
- Genetic testing of tumor tissue with risk-stratification of disease
- Extensive genetic testing panel for patients with cancer or a strong family history of cancer
- Surgical wide-excision of melanomas
- Sentinel lymph node biopsy
- Additional surgeries as necessary
- Coordinated care with oncologists
- Counseling on skin cancer prevention
Click this link to learn more about preventing melanoma.