This lump can be smooth and shiny looking, or it can be red or reddish brown. Not all changes in the skin are cancer, but a doctor should be consulted if changes in the skin are noticed. Treatment of skin cancer usually involves surgery . Sometimes your physician may recommend radiation therapy or chemotherapy either alone or in combination. The program evaluates patients with melanocytic lesions at all stages of tumor progression, with emphasis on dysplastic nevi and melanoma.
Cutaneous photography is an integral part of the program.
Photos, taken in the dedicated studio in the clinical area, are used at each visit to identify and track significant lesions over time. Innovative treatment research protocols, many of which are developed by the Program specialists, are available and include biological response modifiers and new chemotherapeutic agents. In addition to evaluation, monitoring and treatment services, patients are offered counseling by an experienced psychosocial nursing staff. A special focus of the program is prevention. Patients and their families are educated about preventing melanomas and for identifying changes in moles and related lesions.