Melanoma
Call for an AppointmentMelanoma experts at Duke use the latest medical and surgical advances to detect melanoma at the earliest stage possible and treat the skin cancer quickly and effectively. Our involvement in clinical trials offers hope to advanced melanoma patients as well as patients at high risk for recurrent melanoma. Your personalized treatment plan ensures you experience the best results possible for your condition.
The Best Care for Melanoma
Melanoma is a curable cancer if it is caught early and treated effectively. Later stages of the cancer must be treated aggressively to control its spread and minimize the risk that it will return. If you have already been diagnosed with melanoma and need care, our team of specialists has every diagnostic, medical, and surgical tool at their fingertips as well as the advanced training to achieve the best possible results.
Because we are a melanoma research center, you may be eligible to participate in our clinical trials, which are studying several new therapies for advanced melanoma patients as well as for patients at risk for recurrent melanoma. Our work is showing promise for extending survival and achieving better outcomes.
Duke Health offers locations throughout the Triangle. Find one near you.
Tests
Physical Exam
Melanoma is typically first identified during a physical exam. A dermatologist may use a high-powered microscope called a dermatoscope to examine the site more closely.
Total Body Photography
If you have several moles on your body, or a family history of melanoma, our dermatologists may use mole-mapping technology to take sequential photographs of your body from multiple angles. The photographs allow your dermatologist to track changes in your skin and evaluate your melanoma risk over time.
Biopsy
If melanoma is suspected, a sample of skin will be removed and examined for the presence of cancer. The type of biopsy you undergo will be determined by how deep into your skin your physician believes the melanoma has penetrated. A shave biopsy takes less skin, while a punch biopsy removes a deeper portion of skin.
Surgical Biopsy
Removes a much larger section of skin, including the melanoma and surrounding tissue to confirm the diagnosis and stage the cancer. This technique can also be used to ensure that the cancer has been completely removed. A lymph node biopsy may be performed to determine if melanoma has spread to the lymph nodes.
Leaders in Melanoma Treatment and Research
Top-Ranked Care
We are part of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers dedicated to improving care for our patients.
A Team Approach
Our melanoma team includes dermatologists, medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, otolaryngologists (ear, nose and throat doctors), dermatopathologists (specialists who look at skin diseases at a cellular level), and radiologists who work together to develop the most effective treatment plan for you.
Treatment When Melanoma Spreads to Brain or Spine
New treatments are making it possible for people to live longer, with a better quality of life, when cancer has spread to the brain or spine. Duke experts in the medical and surgical management of metastatic brain and spine tumors use these advanced therapies to extend life for people who may have been told they are out of options.
Leaders in Regional Chemotherapy
We are a major referral center for regional chemotherapy, which is given in high doses to people whose melanoma has recurred in multiple places along an arm or leg.
Expertise in Head and Neck Melanoma
Our experienced ear, nose, and throat surgeons are specially trained in removing melanoma that involves the head and neck. Their expertise working exclusively on the head and neck increases the likelihood that you will experience a positive outcome from these complicated procedures.
Ocular Melanoma Treatment Options
Our ophthalmologists are specially trained to detect and treat melanoma that occurs around or near the eye. Treatments, including chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, are personalized to your individual tumor location, stage, and type.
Access to Clinical Trials
Depending on the stage and type of your melanoma, you may be eligible to participate in our numerous clinical trials, which are studying new therapies and therapy combinations. Our goal is to develop new ways to extend survival and improve outcomes in advanced melanoma patients, as well as in patients who are at high risk for recurrent melanoma. Many of these therapies are offering hope and showing promise to people who are no longer candidates for surgery.
Compassionate Care for Pediatric Melanoma
If your child has been diagnosed with melanoma, we make the treatment process as smooth and compassionate as possible. Appointments with your oncologist and dermatologist can be conveniently scheduled at the same time and location, and a child life specialist will be present to ensure your child feels as comfortable as possible.
Comprehensive Support
You’ll have access to our many cancer support services which help you understand and make decisions about treatment options and manage the side effects of your melanoma treatment. We also help you and your family cope with the emotional effects of your diagnosis and treatment. View our cancer support groups in our event calendar.