For patients undergoing a skin check or seeking care for a lesion that is suspicious for melanoma, the lesion evaluation process can be very mysterious and scary. If patients understand the process and the lesion-evaluation tools that are available, they are in a better position to be active participants in their own care. This is beneficial to support shared decision making, particularly regarding the use of non-invasive tools that can potentially save the patient from an unnecessary biopsy.

The section below provides an overview of the evaluation of suspicious pigmented lesions, with a special focus on the potential role for non-invasive tests, including the noninvasive genetic sticker test. Please consider using this resource to educate your patients.

We wish to thank Laura K. Ferris, MD, PhD, Professor of Dermatology, University of Pittsburgh, and Orit Markowitz, MD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, for their review of these materials.

Content released January 13, 2023.

Introduction

Melanoma is a particularly dangerous form of skin cancer that can spread quickly to other sites of the body. To detect a melanoma early before it has had the chance to spread, you and your health care team can monitor your skin on a regular basis. This web resource provides you with information about:

Our goal is to provide you the information you need to advocate for yourself and your skin care. If you are at risk for melanoma, you deserve to have professionals monitor your skin carefully, using the best tools available to look for melanoma and other skin cancers so that they can be identified and treated as early as possible.