Melanoma

Melanoma is a cancer that starts in melanocytes, the cells that make pigment in the skin. The National Cancer Institute says unusual moles, exposure to sunlight, and health history can affect the risk of melanoma, and a key warning sign is a change in the way a mole or pigmented area looks. It can appear anywhere on the skin, and less commonly in the eye. Some risk factors, like tanning bed use, can be changed, while others, like fair skin or family history, cannot.

Melanoma is less common than basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, but it is more likely to spread to other parts of the body if not caught early. Doctors look for moles that are asymmetrical, have irregular borders, uneven color, a larger size, or that are evolving. Early melanoma is often treated with surgery alone, while advanced disease may need immunotherapy or targeted drugs.

In litigation, melanoma sometimes appears in drug injury claims alleging a medicine increased skin cancer risk, and in cases about tanning devices and sunscreen marketing. Consumer class actions over sunscreens have also targeted SPF claims that tested lower than labeled and products found to contain benzene, a contaminant. Courts require solid scientific evidence that a product can cause melanoma and did so in the specific person, and several drug cases have ended when judges found the evidence too weak, which is why claims are evaluated carefully.

If you believe a product contributed to a melanoma diagnosis, keep your pathology reports and records of how long you used it. See our pages on benzene in skincare lawsuits and skincare false advertising, and the guide to class actions versus mass torts.