Why Choose Us for Melanoma Treatment
Huntsman Cancer Institute鈥檚 Melanoma Care Team provides comprehensive, state-of-the-art care for people with melanoma. We use a multidisciplinary team approach to serve our patients. Together, we review each case, coordinate treatment, and plan follow-up care to ensure you or your loved one receives compassionate support at every step.
Our specialty is a key part of this comprehensive care, bringing together doctors and scientists who work side by side to turn scientific discoveries into better outcomes for you.
Specialized Treatments
Our Melanoma Care Team specializes in personalized treatment plans, offering the most advanced treatments available. We work closely with each patient to decide which of the following treatments or combination of treatments is best for them:
We also care for people with a family history of melanoma. And, in partnership with 麻豆学生精品版 Dermatology Services, we provide care, including mole mapping services, for people at a higher-than-average risk for developing melanoma.
Our Expertise
At Huntsman Cancer Institute, our melanoma patients receive expert, personalized care from a collaborative team of experienced medical doctors, surgeons, radiation specialists, pathologists, radiologists, and more.
As the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Mountain West, we are leading the way in melanoma treatment and research. We offer the most advanced treatments available, groundbreaking clinical trials, and unparalleled expertise.
Patient Care Philosophy
We believe no one should face cancer alone. Our dedicated and world-renowned doctors, nurses, and medical staff are at the forefront of patient-centered care. We treat the whole person, not just their cancer.
Each day, our medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists work together across disciplines to create and coordinate treatment plans for every patient. We understand cancer is a complex disease. That is why we use a team approach that includes social workers and support groups, as well as wellness and integrative health services such as acupuncture, massage, creative arts, and more.
Find a Melanoma Specialist
Melanoma Research
Huntsman Cancer Institute is a leader in , making discoveries that are changing how this aggressive cancer is prevented, detected, and treated. Our scientists have made major breakthroughs in understanding how melanoma spreads and identifying new ways to stop it before it reaches the brain or other organs.
We鈥檙e developing new immunotherapy and targeted therapy approaches that help the body fight melanoma more effectively. With the largest Phase 1 clinical trials program in the Mountain West, Huntsman Cancer Institute gives melanoma patients access to cutting-edge therapies not widely available elsewhere.
Clinical Trials
Make an Appointment with a Melanoma Specialist
To make an appointment with a melanoma specialist, fill out our appointment form or call 801-587-7000. Our team will determine if your insurance covers treatment at Huntsman Cancer Institute or if you need a referral from a primary care doctor.
External providers can refer a patient using the online referral form or by calling 801-587-7000 to speak to a patient registration specialist.
Melanoma Basics
Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that arises in melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells in the skin that produce pigment (melanin) that give the skin its color.
There are four main types of melanomas:
Superficial spreading melanoma
The most common type of melanoma (70%), these tumors tend to grow on the surface of the skin and outward.
Nodular melanoma
This type of melanoma accounts for about 15% of cases and involves tumors that tend to grow downward into deeper layers of the skin.
Acral lentiginous melanoma
Around 8% of melanomas start in areas that aren鈥檛 exposed to sunlight frequently, such as palms of the hands, under the nails, or the soles of the feet.
Lentigo maligna melanoma
Often occurs in older adults and accounts for 5% of cases. This type of melanoma often appears in areas that are exposed to sunlight, such as the face, ears, or arms.
Layers of the Skin
The layers of the skin include epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. Melanocytes are in the layer of basal cells at the deepest part of the epidermis.
These could be signs of melanoma:
- New sores or lesions that may look like a mole but are changing rapidly in appearance
- A mole with any of these features:
- Asymmetry or lopsidedness
- Irregular or jagged borders
- More than one color (for example, brown and black or multiple shades of brown)
- Diameter larger than the size of a pencil eraser (6 millimeters)
- Changing in appearance over a few months
- Any symptoms such as crusting, bleeding, or itching
Most moles are benign and do not dramatically change appearance in adults. However, rarely can a mole become melanoma. If you have any of these signs, see your doctor as soon as possible.
Anything that increases your chance of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean you are sure to get cancer. It means your chances are higher than the average person鈥檚. Talk with your doctor to learn more about your cancer risk. Protecting your skin is an important part of skin cancer prevention.
These are risk factors for melanoma:
- Sun exposure
- A personal history of melanoma
- Family history of melanoma or unusual moles (atypical nevus syndrome)
- Having sunburns that blistered, especially as a child or teenager
- Prior use of tanning beds
- Having more than 50 moles
- Having unusual moles (very large or irregular shapes)
- Fair skin
- Red hair and blue, green, gray, or light-colored eyes
- Having a weakened immune system, which includes the following:
- Those who have organ transplants and are on immune-suppressing medications
- Patients with metastatic cancer
- Individuals actively in treatment for cancer
Learn more about ways to prevent melanoma and about family history and genetic counseling.
Screening looks for cancer before you have symptoms. Screening can also check for anything unusual if you notice changes in your skin. Screening can rule out an issue or help find cancer at an early stage, when it may be easier to treat.
Doctors use these tests to screen for and diagnose melanoma:
Skin Exam
A health care provider checks for moles, birthmarks, or other pigmented areas that look abnormal in color, size, shape, or texture.
Mole Mapping
Mole mapping uses high-resolution photographs to take an inventory of all lesions on your body. Mole mapping pictures provide a way to track changes on your skin if you have many unusual moles or if you have a history of melanoma.
Learn more about mole mapping services.
Biopsy
The health care provider removes a tissue sample that can be viewed under a microscope to check for signs of cancer.
Staging is the process that shows whether cancer has spread within or around the skin or to other parts of the body. Cancer spreads in the body in three ways: through tissue, the lymph system, or the blood.
There are multiple stages of melanoma:
- Stage 0 (melanoma in situ): Malignant cells are confined to the epidermis (outer layer of skin) and have not invaded the deeper levels of the skin.
- Stage 1 (1A & 1B): Malignant cells have not invaded greater than 2 millimeters below the surface of the skin.
- Stage 2 (2A , 2B, & 2C): Malignant cells have invaded greater than 2 but less than 4 millimeters below the surface of the skin.
- Stage 3: Malignant cells, regardless of the depth of invasion or ulceration, have spread to the lymph nodes or have made smaller tumors near the primary tumor.
- Stage 4: Cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
When cancer spreads from where it started to another part of the body, it is called metastasis. These metastatic cancer cells are the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if melanoma spreads to the brain, the cancer cells in the brain are actually melanoma cells. The disease is metastatic melanoma, not brain cancer.
