早期检测黑素瘤的五种方法
我们知道黑色素瘤to be the most deadly type of skin cancer. In 2009国家癌症研究所reported that melanoma killed approximately 8,650 Americans. This number is especially tragic considering that skin cancer is both preventable and treatable. The key to successful treatment, however, is to catch melanoma early on before the cancer has had a chance to spread to internal organs. The cure rate for melanoma is estimated at 95% if caught at a less advanced stage.
The following are five ways to identify melanomas early on before they have a chance to do great harm.
1. Know the warning signs.
皮肤癌专家向其A-B-C-D标准添加了“E”，用于检测癌变病变和痣。美国皮肤科学院
已经发布了这些指导方针,寻找危险吗signs in pigmented lesions of the skin:
a是不对称。如果鼹鼠的两半不匹配，这可能是警告标志。
B is for Borders. If the edges of the mole are irregular or scalloped this may indicate a suspicious lesion.
C is for Color. If your mole or lesion has different shades of colors blending into one another including brown, black or tan this may also be a warning sign for melanoma.
D是直径。如果您的增长或痣大于6毫米或标准铅笔橡皮擦的大小，这可能表示可疑鼹鼠。
e是为了不断发展。如果你的摩尔或病变在大小，形状和/或颜色上变化，你将想要有一个皮肤科医生来看看它。
For more information about identifying the early warning signs of melanoma please refer to our article entitled, "I Have a Strange Looking Mole-Is it Skin Cancer?"
2.做自我皮肤考试。
Now that you know what to look for with regard to any suspicious moles or lesions, it is important that you do a full body skin exam. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends that you do a self skin examination once a month. If you are female you can do your skin check at the same time you examine your breasts for breast cancer so you can remember easily. A self skin exam takes no more than ten minutes and is relatively easy to do. A hand held mirror is essential for your self skin exam and it also may be beneficial to have a partner to examine any areas difficult for you to see on your own.
For step by step instructions of how to perform a self skin exam please refer to our guide entitled, "How to Check Your Skin for Skin Cancer."
3. Record your findings.
美国皮肤科学院has a printable pdf file (http://www.melanomamonday.org/documents/body_mole_map_11-09.pdf.) for recording any suspicious moles and their location. Their Body Mole Map has a picture of the front and back of the body, the front and sides of the face, top of the head, and the bottoms of the feet for you to indicate where you have found an irregular mole or growth. Such a record can be of great benefit to your doctor in detecting moles which may need further examination.
4. Schedule a regular annual skin exam by a dermatologist.
In addition to performing a monthly self skin exam it is extremely important that you also be seen by a dermatologist for a yearly full body skin examination. The exam is easy, non-painful, and takes very little time. Yet this exam could be the thing to save your life. In a previous article I wrote about how dermatologists detect the most melanomas.
皮肤科医生接受过训练，以识别患者通常不在自己身上找到的皮肤癌的最薄。
Having your skin checked by your regular general practitioner cannot replace the full body skin exam given by a dermatologist. Many GPs will miss skin cancers that dermatologists will detect and quite often do not perform a full body scan for melanomas or other skin cancers.
有关皮肤科医生的更多信息和年度皮肤检查的重要性请阅读，“如何访问皮肤科医生可以挽救您的生活。”
5. Full Body Mole Photography.
Total body photography is one tool some dermatologists may use with patients who have a high risk for developing melanoma. Some of these risks include having a personal or family history of melanoma, having atypical mole syndrome or having numerous moles of varied sizes, shapes, and colors. Photographs can provide an excellent record of how your moles or skin lesions change over time.
它真正支付一个明智的患者，因为它可以挽救你的生活。没有人需要死皮肤癌。早期发现你的生存机会非常高。您和您的医生将作为一支球队，以防止和检测皮肤癌，然后是一个严重的问题。
If you have or have had melanoma please share your story with us. How did you discover your skin cancer? Your story just may help someone who is going through the same thing.
