Melanoma is a fatal form of skin cancer, a tumor of the melanocyte, a skin cell that produces melanin. Melanoma is likely to occur in people with lighter skin color. Most melanomas look like a normal mole but have an irregular border. Melanoma can be hereditary and increases when you are exposed to too much sunlight or get sunburned.1 We can distinguish between melanoma and a normal nevus by the mnemonic ABCDE: A stands for asymmetry, B stands for border irregularity, C stands for variation of color, D stands for diameter, and E stands for evolution.2 If we use the acronym ABCDE, we can more easily identify melanoma. In the case study, it was important to remove and examine the mole because it looked suspicious and had the characteristics of melanoma. The patient had a high probability of developing melanoma and had a family history of skin cancer. Because the mole was growing, it could be melanoma.3 If the doctor had let the mole remain, it could have progressed to the next stage. Melanoma progresses in stages. In phase zero, it affects only the epidermis of the skin. Then, in the first stage, it spread to the upper part of the dermis; it is less than 1.5 millimeters (1/16 inch) in diameter.4 In the second stage, the melanoma has grown to between 1.5 millimeters and 4 millimeters (less than 1/6 inch) in diameter; it has reached the lower part of the dermis but not the tissue beneath the lymph nodes.4 At stage three, the tumor may be more than 4 millimeters in diameter, may have reached the bottom layer of skin, and may have other growths close to the main tumor. 4 Also, at this stage, it has reached the lymph nodes and will easily move to nearby areas of the body.4 In stage four, which is the final stage, the tumor...... paper medium ......and the same for melanoma because, in the procedure, the skin including the melanoma is removed in very thin layers to be examined under a microscope for further signs of cancer. 5 The testing continues until the layer no longer shows signs of cancer.5 A second type of surgery that Max's doctor may consider is called a lymph node dissection. In this surgery, lymph nodes near the melanoma are removed because the melanoma cells would likely spread to those areas first. 5 However, this procedure has not yet been demonstrated. 5 If the melanoma has already metastasized, it is very unlikely that it can be cured with surgery alone. Max's doctor may use CT or MRI scans to find melanoma in other parts of the body, but it may be too small to be detected by these scans. 5 However, in this case, surgery can help slow the progression of the cancer and improve quality of life. 5