Does melanoma feel painful when pressed?

Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
Updated on February 13, 2025
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Melanoma is a highly malignant skin cancer, and clinically, some patients may experience pain when pressing on the lesion area. The reason for the pain is mainly due to the rapid growth of the melanoma, leading to compression of local tissues or the optic nerve and urgency, resulting in a painful sensation. This pain can exist even without pressing, and ulcerative lesions can occur in some affected areas, leading to symptoms such as pain, bleeding, and infection. In addition to pain upon local compression, patients with melanoma may also experience inflammatory changes such as redness, swelling, heat, and pain, causing some clinical symptoms of fever.

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Does melanoma develop quickly?

If melanoma is diagnosed, this disease must not be taken lightly. It is crucial to seek timely medical treatment and not miss the optimal treatment window, thus avoiding serious consequences. The progression of melanoma is very rapid, so once detected, it should be treated as soon as possible. This approach helps to control the spread of the disease and reduce further damage to the body. Melanoma easily causes pigmentation of the skin and can lead to localized breakdown and bleeding. Generally, if the treatment is not timely, ulcers and satellite lesions may develop, thus having a greater impact. Melanoma is also a disease that tends to metastasize easily. Patients may experience nausea, vomiting, affected appetite, weakness in the limbs, and it can also affect the liver, lungs, brain, and bones, causing symptoms including bone pain. Therefore, it is imperative to detect and treat this disease early to improve the body's healing rate.

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How long does it take for melanoma to develop from early stage to advanced stage?

From what we observe now, in the early stages of illness, melanomas are typically found on the extremities such as hands, feet, the underside of feet, under fingernails, and particularly on the big toe. Initially, they might appear simply as a black spot or a lesion. About two to three years later, there might be swelling at the site of the lesion or black spot. Then, within another five to six months, it may ulcerate, indicating that the condition has worsened.

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How long does it take for melanoma to develop?

The duration of melanoma development varies because melanoma is a type of skin cancer with a relatively high degree of malignancy. However, clinically, the types of melanoma are diverse, and the onset time generally correlates with the patient's clinical phenotype. For some superficial types of melanoma with low malignancy, it generally takes several years to develop. For highly malignant melanomas, the disease generally progresses rapidly within about six months to a year. Once melanoma progresses, it can affect multiple parts of the body and severely impact the patient's lifespan.

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The significance of genetic testing for melanoma patients mainly involves two aspects: first, the identification of specific driver gene mutations to guide the application of targeted drugs; second, the detection of mutations in some common genes to judge the prognosis of the disease. Regarding the target gene mutations for drug selection, the commonly used ones include mutations in C-KIT, BRAF, and M-TOR. If mutations in these target genes are found, corresponding targeted drugs can be used for treatment. These drugs are generally orally administered, have relatively good efficacy, low side effects, and are suitable for the treatment of melanoma. Additionally, some genetic tests can predict the prognosis of melanoma patients based on the presence or absence of mutations.

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Is melanoma flat or raised?

Melanoma generally is not flat, also known as malignant melanoma, which is a highly malignant cancer originating from melanocytes, commonly occurring in the skin. Men over the age of 60 are a high-risk group, with the most commonly affected areas being the lower limbs and feet, followed by the trunk, head and neck, or upper limbs. Symptoms mainly include rapidly growing melanotic nodules. Initially, normal skin becomes heavily pigmented, or pigmented moles darken and increase in pigment. The skin lesions continually enlarge and harden, accompanied by itching and pain. The lesions of melanoma may be raised, patchy, or nodular, and some may even resemble cauliflower.