2. Getting a Diagnosis
Before you have any tests, your physician will want to know some information about you, for example: if you have ever used a tanning bed, the number of times you have had a sunburn, if you have been diagnosed with melanoma before, etc.If you have not been diagnosed with melanoma, your doctor will have to carry out an examination of the skin. If he considers that you may have skin cancer, you will require a biopsy. You will get either excisional biopsy (doctor takes out the entire growth) or punch biopsy (removes a round piece of skin).
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A doctor will observe the growth under a microscope determine its thickness. Often, a thicker tumor means the cancer is severe. The doctor will also check if your lymph nodes are swollen. He will use a thin needle to remove a sample of cells. This is known as fine-needle aspiration biopsy. If at some point you have been diagnosed with melanoma, you may also have an imaging test and a blood test to see if it has spread to other areas e.g. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) uses powerful radio waves and magnets to make pictures of structures and organs inside your body. The results of these tests assist the doctor in determining the stage of your cancer and its distribution in the body.
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