The incidence of melanoma, a more serious skin cancer, has been increasing 4 percent per year since 1973. The Melanoma Clinic at Johns Hopkins offers a diagnostic and treatment center for those with melanoma as well as those at risk of getting melanoma. During a single appointment, a team of specialists meets with the patient to devise a treatment plan that best addresses the patient's disease and its progress. The plan is coordinated by one doctor. Medical and radiation oncologists and head and neck, plastic, dermatological and ophthalmological surgeons are just some of the doctors who will be available to see patients who come for testing or treatment of melanoma.
Experience remains the best tool for diagnosing squamous and basal cell cancer and melanoma.
A special program, the Pigmented Lesion Clinic, was formed to detect the disease as early as possible in people at high risk of developing melanoma. Doctors use a technique called skin surface microscopy and total-body photography to examine moles closely for signs of cancerous change. Treatment Most basal and squamous cell carcinomas are cured. But most melanomas require surgical removal. Several innovations for melanoma treatment are available to Hopkins patients.